After a federal judge in Florida struck down the Biden administration’s mask mandate for public transportation, both Uber and Lyft have announced they will no longer require customers to wear masks on trips.
Uber’s policy change went into effect Tuesday.
On its website, the company said, “riders and drivers are not required to wear masks when using Uber. However, the CDC still recommends wearing a mask if you have certain personal risk factors and/or high transmission levels in your area.”
It also updated its front-seat policy.
Uber passengers will no longer be required to sit in the back seat. However, the ride-share company still encourages people to stay in the back if the size of their passenger group allows them.
Lyft’s mask policy was updated soon after Uber's announcement.
On its website, Lyft said, "Now that the CDC order mandating masks on transportation is no longer in effect, starting today, we’re updating our policies for riding and driving with Lyft."
Aside from masks now being optional, passengers will no longer have to keep the front seat empty or open the windows.
"While riders and drivers can always cancel any ride they don’t wish to take, health safety reasons – like not wearing a mask – will no longer appear as cancellation options in the app," Lyft added.
The federal mask mandate was voided Monday after U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa said the CDC improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking.
Several U.S. airlines have already announced that masks are now optional on planes, including Delta, American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue.
Amtrak also said it will no longer require passengers and staff to wear face masks.