Ride-sharing services remain suspended

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has barred all ride-sharing companies from resuming their services even at a time when all public transport services are gearing up to resume.

Transport services are set to resume from Monday (June 1) after nearly two-month of coronavirus lockdown.

App-based ride-sharing companies like Pathao, Uber and Sohoz have been asked to keep their activities suspended until further notice.

“All the ride-sharing companies were sent letters in this regard yesterday (May 30),” BRTA Director (Engineering) Lokman Hossain Mollah told The Business Post.

Another BRTA official said that the decision has been taken considering the risks of both drivers and passengers as most of the ride-sharing vehicles are motorcycles and it will be difficult for them to maintain physical-distancing and health rules while using the services.

However, Sohoz Founder and Managing Director Maliha M Quadir thinks that the government should allow the ride-sharing services to resume.

“In this time, people will prefer ride-sharing services over public transports considering that ride-sharing is safer than bus or any other public transport services,” she said.  

Pathao Director (Marketing and Public Relations) Sayeda Nabila Mahabub alleged that public transports are comparatively risky where social-distancing aren't maintained properly.