Pathao urges govt to allow resumption of motorcycle ridesharing services

Pathao, the country's leading digital services platform, has submitted a letter to the Cabinet Division, urging the government to allow resumption of motorcycle ridesharing services.   

In the letter, sent on Thursday, the company also applauded the government on its timely measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, while at the same time striving to ensure that economic activities can proceed uninterrupted and livelihoods of the people are safeguarded.

Fahim Ahmed, president of Pathao, said: “The recent spike in Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh reminds us that our fight against the pandemic continues, and that we must act responsibly and comply with health and safety protocols.  

“We call upon the government to allow resumption of motorcycle ridesharing services.  As Bangladesh’s homegrown and largest digital services platform, Pathao is committed to enabling access to safe, reliable and affordable modes of transportation to consumers, and to providing income opportunities for the daily earners on our platform, whose livelihoods are at the greatest risk during this time."

Also read - Ride-sharing businesses hit hard by Covid-19 again

According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), altogether 23,493 vehicles are listed as ride-sharing providers. About 80% of the vehicles are motorcycles.

On September 4, 2020, ride sharing services resumed bike services in Dhaka after a 6-month suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

On April 1 this year, the BRTA again suspended motorcycle ride-sharing services to ensure health safety guidelines and social distancing.  

In accordance with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Bangladesh logged over 7,000 Covid-19 cases for the four consecutive days as 7,087 cases were recorded on April 4, 7,075 on April 5, 7,213 April 6 and 7,626 on April 7.

The country reported 53 Covid-19 fatalities on April 4, 52 on April 5, 66 on April 6 and 63 on April 7, it added.