BENGALURU: Businesses in India have started feeling the pinch of the novel coronavirus outbreak. In a bid to restrict the spread of the contagion, many firms have advised their employees to work from home.
Among the most hit are ride-hailing platforms Ola and Uber.
As are local transport service providers that have tie-ups with various IT firms. With many IT employees availing the work-from-home option, these operators have reportedly witnessed a 30 per cent slump in their cab bookings.
TNIE spoke to many cab drivers, who confirmed that they are now operating lesser number of trips. IT majors Wipro, Cognizant, Infosys and TCS have asked staff with viral flu symptoms as well as those who recently travelled abroad to go on paid leave or work from home.
Digital payments major Paytm has already shut its Gurgaon and Noida offices. So has Cognizant, which has closed its Hyderabad center. According to sources, Oyo has asked employees to opt for video-conferencing and live chats instead of on-ground meetings and face-to-face interactions.
A recent report by market research firm Zinnov says 70 per cent of global R&D centres in Bengaluru have switched to the work-from-home mode. There has also been a drop in inter-city air travel with domestic air passenger traffic dropping by as much as 15 per cent.
"Mobility as a sector will be impacted. Ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Ola, as well as public transport such as metros, local trains, and buses will also be impacted. People are being cautious because they need to be in close proximity with others in these modes of transport. However, a preference seems to be emerging for two-wheeler mobility solutions because of the perception of it being open to the environment and the ability for people to self-sanitise," said Atit Danak, principal & head of CoNXT at Zinnov.
Ola declined to comment on the impact of coronavirus on its business. But it said it has issued a dedicated preparedness module for its drivers, which can effectively reduce the extent of the contagion by building high awareness. Meanwhile, Uber has announced a global fund for compensating those drivers who are COVID-19 suspects or positive.
Google restricts visitors in its offices
Google has begun restricting visits to its offices in Silicon Valley, San Francisco and New York as it ramped up precautions against the deadly novel coronavirus. The added measure was enacted as word went out that Apple had joined the list of technology firms advising employees to work from home