Sindh govt, Careem no longer at loggerheads

KARACHI: The Sindh government and Careem taxi service are no longer at loggerheads as the latter has agreed to register as per the law.

During a hearing held Wednesday at Sindh High Court, the government's counsel said the taxi service will have to obtain permission under the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1965.

A summary of the agreement both — the Sindh government and online taxi service — reached has been forwarded to the law department.  

The court ruled all the matters will be settled as per the law.  

Moreover, replies on the case have been sought by April 27 from the Sindh government, law and transport department and other relevant authorities.

The issue was raised over a petition that stated Careem was being run on commercial basis, without registration for the purpose.

When the issue surfaced, the Sindh government declared the use of private cars as taxis without the mandatory legal permits as “illegal” and contacted Pakistan Telecommunication Authority as it sought to block Careem’s mobile app.

In a statement on social media, Careem Pakistan Managing Director Junaid Iqbal had appealed to the governments of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to embrace the concept of ride-hailing as it will create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Ride-hailing is the term used for transportation from an unlicensed taxi service.