With an uptick in criminal activity linked to ridesharing apps in Jamaica, the island’s Minister of Transport Daryl Vaz announced that he is recommending a ban on ridesharing or ride-hailing apps, with immediate effect.
He made the announcement Tuesday afternoon in the House of Representatives.
“My recommendation as of today, which will obviously have to be vetted for legal purposes, is that a ban on all of those ridesharing apps with immediate effect, until such time as we can come to the table and work out properly, how these apps will be regulated in terms of making sure safety, background checks of the drivers are done not only by the rideshare apps but by the Jamaican authorities – the police or the Transport Authority,” said Vaz.
“I make no apologies; I have a responsibility as a minister and an elected representative to protect the lives of the people,” he added.
This announcement follows a development in the case of a missing teacher, Danielle Anglin, whose remains police discovered in Clarendon on Monday.
Anglin, who lived in St. Catherine, was believed to have chartered a ridesharing service on the morning of May 13 when she went missing.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey said the suspect is a convicted sexual offender and a driver for InDrive, an international ridesharing company that provides transportation services in Jamaica.
The senior cop lamented that the lack of regulation as well as the lack of communication between the police and rideshare companies poses a serious challenge to their investigative efforts.
Restriction of access via telecom provider
In a press release following the announcement in Parliament, Vaz stated that effective immediately, Cable and Wireless (Jamaica) Limited and its Jamaican affiliates are directed to restrict access, in Jamaica, to all ride-hailing applications via its network. These include InDrive, Uber, 876OnTheGo, Lyft, and Ride Jamaica.
“The Jamaica Constabulary Force has advised that several heinous crimes to include, murder, rape, abduction, and robberies, have been committed by persons who have been purportedly contracted via these platforms to provide transportation services, with breaches of other laws such as the Money Laundering Act; Cybercrimes Act; and Terrorism Prevention Act, being a distinct possibility,” the press release stated.
The directive will remain in effect for a period of twelve months, in the first instance, or until a regulatory regime for the use of ride-hailing applications and services has been established, whichever is sooner.
“The right is reserved to update this directive to advise which ride-hailing applications and/or services have brought its operations into compliance and conformity with local laws,” Vaz said.
The minister stated that he has sought to engage the ridesharing providers, both locally and internationally, to streamline their operations within the regulatory regime.
“I want to publicly state that the only provider that has indicated their willingness to operate within the legal framework is UBER,” he wrote on the social media platform, X.
“The Transport Authority will be meeting with local ride hailing entities this week in this regard, among others, [InDrive] remains outstanding. I am proposing an immediate ban on these platforms until they respond and express their willingness to meet with the authorities.”
