Sindh govt gives one-week time to ban Uber and Careem in Sindh

KARACHI: The Sindh government once again directed the Uber and Careem taxi services to register themselves with the Sindh government or face a ban.

The newly-appointed transport minister, Owais Qadir Shah, has granted a week’s time to ride-hailing services, Uber and Careem, to regularise their operations, failing which the services would be banned in the province.

“We will take action and shut these services if permission is not obtained from the provincial government under the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1965,” said the minister. Shah on a private TV channel said the online cab services must get fitness certificate, excise license from ministry of transport.

Ministry of Transport Sindh issued a notification today (Monday) to ban Careem and Uber Taxi services in the province, in which it has given one week time to register with the ministry of transport and excise department. The ministry of transport also issues letter to PTA, in which it requested to suspend Careem, Uber application.

“Sindh Government has been supportive of disruptive technologies in recent years and we appreciate the role they have played in providing masses a more convenient and affordable mode of transport along with creating numerous economic opportunities,” the Uber taxi service spokesman said. “We are looking forward to working with the Sindh government to address their concerns,” he further added.

Earlier in the morning the Punjab government professed the services of mobile-application taxi service providers as illegal and announced that a stern action should be taken against them. The amenities being suspended included Careem, Uber and A-One taxi services.

Reports said there are hundreds of cars operated by Careem and Uber in Karachi, and between 2,000 and 3,000 in Lahore.

This is not the first time the Sindh government has woken up to the need for these ride-hailing companies to register their services.  In February 2017, the then transport minister, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, had even ordered to ban the services, before revoking the orders in the wake of strong backlash from citizens. “The government has no intention to ban Careem and Uber, but we want to regulate them,” Nasir had remarked.

At the same time, the Sindh government had also announced to approach the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to block the apps of the online cab services.

Later, a petition was also filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC), seeking direction to curb the “illegal operation” of Careem and Uber. The petitioner, Ahsan Puri, alleged that the foreign-originated companies were conducting operations in Pakistan through the internet and mobile phone applications without proper registration.

The companies, Puri claimed, were violating provisions of the Sindh Motor Vehicle Tax Act, 1958, the Motor Vehicle Rules, 1959, and the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1965, which specifically provide that no non-commercial vehicle could be used for commercial purposes.

In April 2017, SHC asked the provincial authorities and the ride-hailing services to come up with a mechanism to regulate the vehicles. The court was later informed that the provincial transport department, Careem and Uber had reached an agreement, under which their vehicles would be registered for commercial use and permits issued under the Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965.

Ban on CNG kits

During the meeting on Monday, Owais also took strong exception to the CNG kits installed in passenger and school buses and vans and asked the transport department officials to compile a report on their status and submit the same to him within a a week. “Since 2015, there has been ban on CNG kits in school vans and passenger buses. Why you have failed to take action against them?” he questioned the officials.

The minister was also informed about encroachments on land belonging to the transport department, including depots and bus stands. “I will speak to the police and other officials and will evacuate the public property from the encroachers,” he said, besides directing the transport secretary to start a crackdown against buses running without route permits. The issues of Green Lines and Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit projects also came under discussion.

About The Author