Currently 12 companies are in ride sharing service in Bangladesh. They enjoy 20 to 25 percent from the fare, but yet to give a single penny to the government.
However, with growing popularity, earning as well, the companies are yet to be legalized as they remain out of Ride Sharing Service Policy. The government implemented the policy on March 8, with a provision that the service providers must have a SOS button - an international code signal of extreme distress.
As the service providers could not include the button to their software, the government is yet to legalize any of them. "We will finalize them after they connect their service to the police control room via national emergency number 999," BRTA Chairman Mohammed Moshiar Rahman told the press.
According to Ride Sharing Service Policy, adding the SOS button to the software of the service providers is a must. The button will enable police tracing every ride and getting information about both the rider and drive.
A meeting is scheduled to be held between the service providers and police soon. However, at the previous meeting the companies requested police to compromise the condition saying, "The inclusion would take time as it is needed to be imported." Police offered sharing the information on a common platform.
Rejecting it, the companies claimed 'it may damage their profit'. BRTA then offered another solution proposing the providers to keep their own call center open round the clock.
However, the proposal was also not agreed upon. Concerned said, there could be complaint section and solution section on both BRTA website and in providers' applications to minimize irregularities including overcharging and other sufferings.