Decision to allow taxis to provide delivery services fails to elicit positive response

AMMAN — Land Transport Regulatory Commission’s (LTRC) decision to allow yellow and service taxis to perform delivery services during the partial lockdown, failed to elicit a positive response.

Director Salah Aluzi told the Jordanian News Agency, Petra, on Sunday that this step comes as a recommendation from the commission to ease the economic situation of owners of these modes of transport and to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the sector.

Bilal Al Tous, a yello taxi driver in Amman told The Jordan Times of his belief that the decision will not benefit taxis. 

Tous said there are many companies already working in delivery services having established relationships with restaurants. Furthermore, the small motorbikes and vehicles they usually have, give these companies advantage in terms of the cost of fuel in comparison with taxis, which are intended for passenger transport by virtue, Tous added.

Mohmmad Haqrous, another taxi driver, expressed low expectations of the outcome of the decision, believing that expected volume of daily orders will not exceed four per day, a rate that is insufficient for the generation of appropriate income, according to him.

Hashim Ahmad, a service taxi driver told The Jordan Times that it will be challenging to build working relationships with restaurants to deliver food orders, especially given the low popularity of service taxis among the public.

“Professional service companies charge JD1.5 to JD2 per order, which is unsustainable for service taxis given higher operational costs. It will very difficult to compete in this area,” Ahmad said.