No ridesharing firm registered yet for noncompliance with guidelines, parliament told

The government has not given the enlistment certificate to any ridesharing companies for their failure to meet the conditions set by the authorities.

The information was given in parliament on Tuesday on behalf of Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, who is undergoing treatment in Singapore for his kidney and blood ailments after a heart attack.

When some firms like Uber, Pathao and Shohoz launched ridesharing services in Bangladesh in 2016, the government had no guidelines for such companies.

As the services started becoming popular in Dhaka, infamous for traffic congestions and anarchy in the public transport sector, the government made the guidelines and approved those in January last year after discussions at different levels.

The guidelines made enlistment certificate from Bangladesh Road Transport Authority or BRTA compulsory for the companies and the owners of the vehicles used for the services.

Some 16 ridesharing companies have applied for listing after the ridesharing services guidelines were made, but it could not be possible to issue any enlistment certificate due to their non-compliance of certain conditions, the minister replied to the question by Nasimul Alam Chowdhury MP.

The app-based ridesharing firms had also been asked to meet the conditions, said the minister.

Explaining the reasons behind no action against the firms yet, Quader said, "Legal action cannot be taken against them right now because police, the Election Commission’ NID cell and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission are related to the implementation of the guidelines."