Allegations run rife about the fare, safety and service quality of app based ride-sharing services Uber and Pathao. Despite having popularity, ride-sharing services are losing their credibility due to non-compliance of rules, ride shares demanding more than fixed fares at night and peak hours, violating traffic rule, running vehicles at high speed, and other irregularities.
Passengers also questioned the rationality of knowing passengers personal information and accuracy of the registration process of such services. The safety of this service has become the topic of discussion following the recent death of a university student in ‘Uber Moto’ accident in the capital. After the accident, police said, the address given by the Uber driver in registration was fake, which is a threat to passengers’ safety.
Besides, ride sharing policy had been formed about a year ago, however, the service provider organisations did not register according to rules. The policy is kept only in paper due to the objection of ride sharing organisations and some separate recommendations of police. There are no steps to verify the authenticity of the papers that the companies take in running a bike or car using apps from the Ride Sharing authorities.
According to the website of ‘Pathao’, one should have an android phone, a driving license, a bicycle or car registration and a national identity card to become a rider. Although these documents have been taken, the company is not giving any importance to its authenticity. Although having right documents, many drivers or riders cannot drive a bike or car skillfully. So, possibility of road accident remains always.
The lack of security measures are found through analyzing uber and pathao registration process. Someone can easily register with fake papers. Talking to some of the users of the ride sharing, it became clear that safety, security and drivers’ skill are still the main questions. Pathao and Uber user Ariful Islam said, “We know nothing about the driver, we use this app only having the trust on the organization. But if it is seen that the driver has no skill and drive very fast, then we cannot keep faith in those apps companies. Many times, drivers misbehave with passengers.”
Ahmed Shahin, a Dhaka University student said, many ride-sharing drivers argue about discounts and payment system before starting the ride, which is quite embarrassing for a ride taker. A Pathao driver, a few days back, cancelled the ride once he came to know about discount offered by the company. Apart from this, many drivers cancel the trips if the destination is near to the departure point. And, many of them offer contractual trips if they find rough weather or scarcity of vehicles on roads.
Zakari Kanchan, 30, a private employee, said, “I go home every day by riding a ride. The driver is not well-behaved all the time. No one knows when criminals will attack. But the app company is not giving guarantees that drivers will not do any crime.” For example, calling for a Pathao, he saw the driver started the trip before reaching the spot. He observed this both in case of bike and car.
But it is difficult to find a way to send complaints against the driver or the customer in Pathao. There is no place for lodging complaints in this app. Though there is a scope for complaining in the 'History' section, the process of entering is complicated and time-consuming. Last year, Pathao was involved in a controversy after allegations were made against the ride-sharing company for illegal data gathering activities.
Ashik Ishtiaque Emon, a security researcher, uploaded a viral video explaining how Pathao was misusing user data. According to the video, Pathao forwards sensitive user information to a third-party server in California and this data is updated every time you open the app. Contacts and SMS information are also collected in addition to location data. Mahbub Hasan Srabon, 26, a Dhaka University student, said, “I used Pathao and Uber app regularly. But, when I knew they can know my personal information through this app, I stopped using this and uninstalled the app from smartphone. But, I still get message from Pathao. I am concerned about theft of my personal data. They have no right to know my personal information.”
Regarding security, traffic violation, ride rules, Uber Public Relation Officer ASM Asaduzzaman told Bangladesh Post to send allegations through mailing him. The Uber authority will reply all the questions in this regard, said Asaduzzaman. On the other hand, about allegations, Pathao PRO Omor Faruk said, “If any rider violates the rules and regulations of ride-sharing, then we take action against them. Our authority take action when we get an emergency call. Here, both rider and user are our customers, we have to think from both sides. However, it is not always the user who abides by the rules or not behave well.”
The entrepreneurs of ride-sharing organisations demanded for amendment of certain issues of Ride Sharing Services Policy 2017. They raised objection on three issues and police complained on two issues of the policy. After the policy, 16 service provider organisations have applied for registration to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), but no organisation got the registration for policy complication.
According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), about 11,784 motor bikes and 8,853 cars of Uber, 20,000 motor bikes and 2,000 cars of Pathao, 11,784 motor bikes and 601 cars of Pygmy, 26,110 motor bikes and 1,161 cars of Ovai, 30,822 motor bikes and 1,653 cars of Shohoz, and 4,386 bikes of Chaldal have been playing in capital Dhaka. In other transports, 7000 bus-minibus, 14,000 CNG operated auto rickshaw and 5000 taxi cabs are running in the city.
