While ridesharing services such as Uber and Ola may have revolutionized the way that people get around, like most things in life, not everything is all sunshine and rainbows.
You may have had your suspicions about the cleanliness of the vehicles that are used, but one exterminator over in America has revealed a horrifying statistic that may put you off the convenient services.
It turns out that bedbugs are more common in these vehicles that it might seem, as these tiny stowaways are almost single-handedly funding Don Brooks' extermination business.
As the ride-sharing business has expanded in Dallas-Forth Worth, so has the population of bedbugs in the vehicles, leaving Brooks and his Doffdon Pest Control business with a lot of work.
In a recent TV interview, he explained how both Uber and Lyft have become regular clients:
"I probably do five to ten rideshare cars per week," he said. "Drivers either see bed bugs, someone complained, or they were suspicious of a customer and just want to make sure."
He explained that the cars become infected after a bedbug crawls off a person whilst they are riding in the vehicle. This means that anyone could be both transferring bugs and/or picking them up during the rides.
When it comes to getting rid of the pesky things, a tenting method works the best, and sets the owner back US$250. This "hot box" method involves bringing the car up to a temperature higher than the bugs' threshold — between 47 and 49 degrees Celsius.
If you think that you have been exposed to the nasty bugs in any scenario, Brooks offered some advice:
"If you feel suspicious, just throw your clothes in the dryer for 50 minutes on high heat. Then it's best to hop in the shower."