Uber enlists 5,000 vehicles following BRTA order

Uber today announced that it has enlisted more than 5,000 vehicles on its platform to provide efficient, convenient and affordable transportation for riders, along with creating livelihood opportunities for its drivers.

The enlistment drive by the ride-sharing company follows a Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) order which stipulated that ridesharing could only resume with enlisted vehicles, says Uber in a press release issued in this regard.

To comply with the directive, Uber has been raising awareness amongst the driver community to apply for enlistment certificates and also facilitating the application process on the BRTA portal.

Uber resumed operations in Dhaka on June 22 following a long shutdown in the country due to coronavirus outbreak with its affordable UberX service and just this week has restarted services across its Premier and Intercity categories.

Ratul Ghosh, Head of Bangladesh and East India, Uber, said, "As our cities start to open, we want to ensure safe and convenient transport to move Bangladesh forward and help our communities on the path to recovery."

Uber remains committed to work with authorities in order to facilitate the enlistment process for the drivers so that they can start earning a livelihood on the platform as soon as possible, he also said.

"We are confident that our ridesharing services are best placed to provide the highest standards of safety and hygiene for riders and drivers in the new normal," he added.

Over the past two weeks, Uber has also launched a comprehensive set of safety measures including an interactive Go Online Checklist for both riders and drivers, a mandatory mask policy for riders and drivers, industry first pre-trip mask verification selfies for drivers, an updated post-trip feedback mechanism and a cancellation policy, the release also adds.

To ensure social distancing while travelling in an Uber, the company has also instituted new seat limits allowing only two riders in a car other than the driver and advising riders to sit in the rear seat.