Ride hailing services have been able to fill in the gaps in the market of safe transport
KARACHI: Over the past few years, ride hailing services have been able to fill in the gaps in the market of safe transport, more so because public transport buses and rickshaws are deemed unsafe for women commuting late at night or during the early hours of morning. Due to convenience, affordability and safety factors ride services have been used by both males and females alike albeit with the female passengers making up for slightly greater number of passengers.
However, it turns out that the said service too is not all that safe for lone female passengers. As mostly the ordeal of one’s petrifying ride experiences are heard through social media, alongside the warning to never book a particular captain or a specific car. Usually the complaints are followed by action by the ride service by a maximum of the suspension of the said driver.
As of now, these services have operated without any specified policy and legislation by the government. It is important that the sudden sprout of such ride services must be put on control via taxes and regulations that ensure passengers’ safety.
Maliha Shahzad
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2018.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
