BRTA no to Uber services with pvt cars
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) yesterday notified Uber, an app-based on-demand taxi service, that they could not run their commercial operation by using private cars.
BRTA Chairman Md Nazrul Islam told this to media after a meeting at his office with Uber representatives Utsav Agarwal, Biplab Sharma and Kazi Zulkarnine. The Uber representatives, however, did not speak to the media after the meeting. Uber, a San Francisco-based start-up, launched its service in the capital on November 22 promising a change in the commuting experience in the busy metropolitan.
However, on November 25, the BRTA issued a notice in the mass media asking the Uber authorities to stop their operation as the US-based company launched the services violating the Taxicab Service Guideline, 2010.
After the meeting with the Uber representatives, the BRTA chief also held a meet with a team of app-based motorbike sharing service Share a Motorcycle-SAM.
Replying to media queries on Uber, Nazrul said, The BRTA has no objection with Ubers operation. However, they must provide their service to customers with commercial vehicles. Private vehicles cannot be used to serve customers.
If they still do so, it will be illegal and the law enforcers will handle the matter. The BRTA will operate mobile courts if it comes to know about Uber using private vehicles, he added.
Nazrul also said that the authorities would help in case the existing law needs to be amended to facilitate the operation of Uber in the country. Speaking on SAM, the BRTA chief said that the time has come to decide on the motorbike operators as well. We will sit if the motorbike operators want to discuss their interest with us, he added. Contacted, SAM managing director Imtiaz Kasem said the BRTA chairman was positive on their operation.
Meanwhile, the BRTA has asked Uber to file application within three weeks to get approval to run their business in Bangladesh.
After getting the application from Uber, BRTA will take decision about the smart phone-based taxi service, BRTA secretary M Shawkat Ali said yesterday. The ban on Uber to run their operation will remain effective until they get clearance from the BRTA, Ali added.
Uber has revolutionised car share rides across the globe since it was launched in 2010, becoming one of the worlds most valuable startups. But it has faced protests from established taxi operators in most locations where it has launched and been hit by a series of lawsuits and regulatory hurdles.
The firms system is designed around drivers who use their personal cars to provide services to users who order taxis on their smartphones. Individuals owning cars can register to become Uber drivers and earn fares by picking up passengers near their locations.
