Do I have to wear a face covering?

As of the 1st of June, all chauffeurs must wear a face covering on all Wheely journeys.

The face covering needs to be black, white, or blue and must cover your nose and mouth when worn. Face coverings should be plain and must not be multi-coloured, patterned or branded.

Please refer to the Wheely Hygiene Standards for further details.

Do passengers have to wear face coverings?

Due to changes in UK law, from 24 September 2020 for a period of 6 calendar months, passengers travelling in Private Hire Vehicles should wear a face-covering unless they are exempt from wearing one.

A full list of exemptions is available as part of the UK government guidance on face coverings. If a passenger is not wearing a face covering, under no circumstances should you insist the passenger produces evidence of an exemption, as it may be granted on a medical-in-confidence basis. Please abide by the following principles:

As a chauffeur, you should strive to accommodate all passengers and deliver a high-quality service.
You must not create a confrontational situation (for example insisting that passenger wear a face covering).
You will not be committing an offence if you allow a passenger to travel without a face covering.
Your passenger may have an exemption. If they do not and the passenger is willing to risk being fined, this is their choice and responsibility.

We recommend that you carry some spare, single-use, face coverings inside your vehicle away from passenger view, so that you may provide them to any passenger that requests one.

You are within your rights to refuse a journey to a passenger if they do not wear a face-mask, but you must do so without creating a conflict. In the eventuality that you are not content to carry a passenger who does not wish to wear a face covering once they have entered your vehicle, please allow the passenger to remain in your vehicle whilst you contact Wheely Support, so that we may make alternative arrangements to convey the passenger.

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