Originally published at: https://www.pakwheels.com/blog/jinnah-international-airport-bans-careem-uber-vehicles-premises/
Since their operations began, ride-hailing services in Pakistan have enjoyed popularity among the general public. However, from time-to-time, these popular ride-hailing services have received some level of opposition from the government, primarily due to their operating policies.
The latest example being the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, which has officially banned the entry of Careem and Uber vehicles on its premises. The official warning sign authorized by the COO/Airport Manager can be easily noticed at the entrance of the airport, which contains the following warning:
“The vehicles of Uber and Careem are prohibited from entering the parking area and pick up passengers from the airport. In case of violation, strict action will be taken including impounding of vehicles.”
This ban will be applicable on all Careem and Uber vehicles, including motorbikes, cars, rickshaws, or any other transport vehicle related to them. The warning issued by the airport management further inform the kind of action they will be taking against the drivers. If a person is found violating the said rule, the airport management will take strict action against them, which may also result in impounding of their vehicle.
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This policy by the Jinnah International Airport may seem a bit strict, however, they are certainly not the only one to enforce this kind of regulation on their premises. Previously, both of these ride-hailing services were banned by the management of Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore.
This abrupt decision by the Airport may seem odd to some, however, this may be a result of something done by these services previously. Last October, the Sindh government ordered the online taxi services to regularize their operations inside Sindh within a week’s time, or else they will face a province-wide ban. The reason behind this, as per the Sindh Government officials, was that these taxi services were operating outside government defined rules.
This time, according to official sources, the decision to ban popular online taxi services was because of the continuously expanding nature of their operations. Simply put, their expansion has resulted in increased revenue as well as the tax amount they have to pay to the government for continued operations, which, as of yet both of the companies have failed to submit.
Surely enough, to maintain smooth operations around the country, these taxi services have to be properly regulated by the government, however as previously speculated, this may result in increased fares for the consumers, which may result in a backlash from the general public.
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