Ride-Hailing Services: Just 255 cars allowed on roads

A total of 255 cars, microbuses and ambulances were allowed to operate under the ride-hailing services from yesterday because the authorities decided to give permission only to the vehicles enlisted to provide the services.

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) decided not to allow motorcycles to resume the service, considering the risks of spreading the coronavirus.

"We have sent letters to the 12 ride-hailing companies in this regard today [Sunday]," BRTA Acting Chairman Yousub Ali Mollah told The Daily Star.

"We decided to allow only the enlisted four-wheelers. No motorcycles, because maintaining physical distance is not possible on it," he said.

The development comes after the prime minister's Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus on Saturday held a meeting with stakeholders over the issue.

Buses and other modes of public transport hit the roads on June 1, but ride-hailing services remained suspended. Companies, including Uber and Pathao, recently wrote to the BRTA, requesting permission to resume operations.

After that did not bear any fruit, Uber Bangladesh Ltd requested the Prime Minister's Office to intervene.

In Saturday's meeting, Uber officials requested permission to resume operation and said they would need some time to get all of their vehicles enlisted with the BRTA, a participant said.

According to a BRTA document, there are some 1.23 lakh vehicles and motorcycles associated with different ride-hailing companies. Of them, 1.04 lakh are motorcycles.

However, only around 1,300 are enlisted with the BRTA under the 12 companies, and most of them are motorcycles, BRTA officials said.

Only 15 cars and 111 motorcycles of Uber and two cars and 116 motorcycles of Pathao have the enlistment certificates, BRTA record shows.

Asked about motorcyclists picking up commuters on the streets, the BRTA acting chairman said mobile courts and law enforces will take action against them soon.

Meanwhile Bangladesh Ride Sharing Association (BaRSA), a plantform of 11 ride-sharing service providing companies, said they were deeply disappointed by the BRTA's decision.

It called for immediate resumption for ride sharing service involving all vehicles, including motorcycles, subject to the compliance with the standard operating procedure they proposed to the BRTA, it said in a press statement.

It also asked the BRTA to allow operations of all vehicles registered on ridesharing applications until the enlistment process is fully implemented over a one-year timeline.