A Missouri taxi company will not provide transportation to people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or are wearing masks.
"We don't allow any type of masks in our vehicles," Yo Transportation owner Charlie Bullington told KMOV in an interview. "The second one, we're very against the vaccines, and we do not wish to have people in our vehicle that did the vaccines."
Bullington said that, prior to pickup, he verifies that his passengers have not been vaccinated and will be wearing a face covering.
The company's website said that it offers rides in Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Montgomery, St. Charles, St. Louis and Warren Counties.
Bullington also falsely alleged that Missouri is a top three state for lowest vaccination rate, saying, “I'm proud of all the Missouri people for standing against this.”
However, as of Friday, Missouri is not even among the 10 least vaccinated states, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, about 42 percent of the state’s population is fully vaccinated.
Bullington said that, based on his research, he believes masks are germ catchers.
“Because of what they consider the shedding process, them transmitting their germs to us by contact whether it’s a shake of hands, a touch,” he said.
But Farrin Manian, an infectious disease expert with Mercy Hospital, told KMOV that vaccines and mask do help mitigate the spread of the virus.
Bullington also noted that about thirty percent of potential passengers elect against riding with his company because of his new policy.
Yo Transportation has been in operation for 16 years.
Missouri is in the midst of a surge of new COVID-19 cases as the state saw 3,257 new cases on Thursday.
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