Punjab, Sindh declare Uber, Careem illegal

After the massive success of cab hailing services Uber, Careem in Pakistans major cities, the services has been declared illegal by the Punjab Transport Department.

According to latest reports, Punjab Governments Provincial Transport Authority declared Careem, Uber and other ride-hailing services illegal. Sindh government on Tuesday too sought legal action against these companies.

The Sindh government has declared the use of private cars as taxis without the mandatory legal permits as 'illegal' and has contacted PTA as it seeks to block Careem’s mobile app.

Ministry of transport issues notification to PTA to suspend Careem, Uber application immediately. Uber and Careem must take fitness certificate, says Ministry of Transport.

A notification in this regard was sent to Lahores chief Traffic Officer to ensure these services are not allowed on Lahores roads. However, it is still unclear if the ban is valid for Lahore only, or other cities in Punjab are also part of the order.

The notification states that the two companies have been offering transport services without registering private cars with any regulatory body.

Punjab government declared the services of mobile-application taxi service providers, including Careem, Uber, as illegal and announced to take strict action against them. So far Careem, Uber management has not responded to the situation but the government has vowed to take strict action against these companies if they keep operating without the requisite approvals.

These taxi service providers have been gaining a lot of popularity as people have been using them to move around in their cities.