Verbal contractual trips instead of app-based motorbike ridesharing services in the capital pose grave safety threat and can be dangerous for passengers.
Law enforcers and criminology experts feared that the contractual ridesharing helps criminals to do crimes because it’s undocumented. There is hardly any chance to trace the wrongdoer immediately if any untoward situation arises.
However, amid the pandemic many ridesharing riders are carrying passengers on a contract basis without providing passenger service through apps in order to make some extra money.
As a result, a range of felonies including snatching, robbery and murder took place over last few months according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Additional Commissioner (Intelligence) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police AKM Hafiz Akhter said, “Legal actions would be taken if passengers were carried on motorcycles or private cars without the app. In recent times, carrying passengers on a verbal contract by motorcycle and private car drivers is on the rise.”
He urged passengers not to travel in motorcycles or cars without using app services.
At the same time, it has been informed to the ride sharing companies to take action against the drivers involved in contract ride sharing.
On August 27 last year, miscreants snatched motorcycle and mobile phonefrom a driver of an app-based ride-sharing Pathaofrom the Maghbazar-Malibagh flyover in city’s Shahjahanpur. The Pathao driver was strangled to death by the miscreants.
On May 14, Farid Ahmed was snatched in the capital’s Banasree area.He was heading to Motijheel AGB Colony on a motorbike from Shahjadpur.
He told Bangladesh Post, “Themotorcyclist told that he was taking a short-cut to avoidthe traffic jam of a busy route. Later, he stopped his motorcycleat a place. Suddenly, three snatchers came and showed me sharp weapons and snatched my belongings.
A few days earlier, Detective Branch (DB) arrested two members of a motorcycle hijacking gang while conducting raids in Uttara and Bagerhat.
Crime analyst MokhlesurRahman told Bangladesh Post, “Ride sharing service gave some relief from heavy traffic but it has created a threat as well as many prefer servicewithout app. Not only just passengers but also the riders can be victimised of this trap,”
Passengersshoulduse ride sharing apps as it is secured, he added.
In this regard, Syeda Nabila Mahbub, Marketing Director of Pathao, a ride-sharing company, said, “We have warned drivers and passengers for a long time about how dangerous it can be to share a ride without apps.”
"I would like to request the drivers and passengers to realise how dangerous ride sharing can be without apps. We are working with the law enforcers, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA)and others to create awareness in this regard,” she added.
