Ride-sharing services introduced in the densely populated capital city of Dhaka in 2016 came as a boon for the commuters for affordable and comfortable journey. But people using the once popular service are now frequently complaining of humiliation, harassment and suffering by the drivers of the vehicles involved with the service.
A news item headlined “Ride-sharing goes haywire,” was published in the Bangladesh Post on Monday, which has described how cummuters using ride-sharing services fall victim to humiliation and harassement by the drivers. Ride-sharing, once seen as a solution to urban transport woes, have now become a source of public discontent. Regular users allege reckless driving, charging extra fare, refusing to travel to the destinations they want to travel and even asking passengers to cancel rides.
Many drivers operate through multiple ride-sharing platforms simultaneously, cherry-picking trips that suit them, often leaving passengers in the lurch. Some of the vehicles involved with the service are unfit for running on the roads. In some cases, vehicles break down midway or are operated without air conditioning even during extreme heat.
Lack of proper management and careless attitude of both drivers and ride-sharing operators are blamed for this aweful situation. Complaints are piling up, but the authorities are hardly doing anything to addrss the problem. When ride-sharing providers like Uber and Pathao was first launched in Bangladesh, we got a transformative shift in urban mobility. Prior to the launch of the service, city dwellers had limited transport options—public bus or private taxis. Public buses are affordable but they are mostly unsafe. On the other hand, private taxis are faster but their fair is very high.
The ride-sharing service promised to combine affordability, convenience and safety. But the real situation is far from the early commitments. The government formulated the Ride-Sharing Service Policy 2017 with the aim of offering a technology-based modern transport system.
Regular users allege reckless
driving, charging extra fare,
refusing to travel to the destinations
they want to travel and even asking
passengers to cancel rides
The transport sector is now witnessing a chaotic situation. The sector appears to be running under no regulations, which is causing both drivers and passengers to suffer. Ride-sharing platforms initially received overwhelming public response, but their reputation is being eroded by poor service and unprofessional behaviour of many drivers. There are growing complaints of harassment, misconduct, lack of emergency features such as SOS buttons and unauthorised sharing of users’ personal data abroad.
Section 6.5 of Ride-Sharing Service Policy 2017 y stipulates that companies must operate a physical office within the service area and maintain at least 100 registered vehicles within the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) zone.
However, many companies have bypassed these requirements, allegedly obtaining registration through bribery. Even popular ride-sharing providers such as Uber and Pathao are under fire for failing to adhere to basic regulations.
The authorities carried out investigation into some recent accidents. The investigation found reckless driving by motorcycle riders as a leading cause of the accidents. It was found that, drivers are running their bikes with fake documents and false addresses.
One of the complaints involves use of substandard helmets, often described by users as "toy helmets". Such helmets are used only avoid police penalty. The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) lacks manpower and technological infrastructure to monitor and regulate ride-sharing services effectively.
It has been unable to act against widespread violations, including overcharging, illegal operations and use of unfit vehicles. Ride-sharing service providers are operating at will as there is no effecting monitoring. Many are not registered with BRTA, and the existing guidelines are yet to be properly enforced.
This absence of regulations has allowed companies to operate on their own terms, with little to no accountability. In view of the situation, the government must take decisive action to restore order.
Registeration of drivers through proper background checks and imparting training to them should be given high importance.
Besides, creating accessible systems for customer feedback and complaints, deploying monitoring teams to enforce proper fare collection and taking legal action against vehicles lacking route permits and fitness certification. The government must also confront the entrenched influence of transport cartels and ensure the implementation of policy that safeguards public interest.
Ride-sharing services were introduced with the promise of improving urban mobility. We hope the authorities will take immediate measures to ease the sufferings of city peope.
