Ride-hailing drivers stage sit-in outside Transport Ministry

AMMAN — More than 500 drivers from ride-hailing apps — mainly Uber and Careem — staged a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Transport on Wednesday to protest what they called a lack of response to previous demands. 

Abdulrahman Rafe, a Careem driver, said the sit-in was the third held by drivers, noting that the previous two were held in front of the Land Transport Regulatory Commission (LTRC), but failed to lead to drivers’ demands being met. 

The sit-in aims to increase the required operational age of cars from the current five years to eight years, which is same requirement for taxi and limousine drivers, according to Rafe. 

If a driver wants to work for Uber or Careem, they have to pay JD400 for a permit, but once the process is complete the company legally owns the permit, Rafe said, adding that the drivers’ demands include transferring ownership of permits to drivers so they can find employment elsewhere if they leave their employer for any reason.

The drivers are also asking the ministry to allow them the option to temporarily transfer their permits to a relative so that they can operate the same car.

In addition, the drivers are asking for the formation of a monitoring committee to supervise the work of companies and their performance to ensure everything is done in accordance with laws and regulations.

Acting general director of the LTRC Wesam Tahtamouni noted that some of the drivers’ demands require amendments to laws and regulations, which would take time to enforce.

However, Tahtamouni said that a meeting is scheduled on Sunday with the drivers’ representatives to discuss the list of demands, adding that the LTRC has already begun processing a few of the demands, such as allowing drivers’ close relatives to obtain permits, or allowing the drivers to operate on more than one application. 

On social media groups, drivers from different apps urged each other to turn off their applications on Wednesday to show solidarity with the sit-in.