When the concept of ride-sharing was introduced in Bangladesh, it was hailed as a revolutionary solution to the contemporary problem that the main cities in the country face due to lack of transport. However, as more time went on, it became clear that ride-sharing has become a menace for most people.
First of all, only a section of the population uses these types of apps on a daily basis. It is too expensive for a majority of the city dwellers as the fares are much higher than rickshaws and buses.
This cannot be the solution to mass transport for such a huge population. Moreover, there has been a huge influx of allegations against riders and concerned companies. The safety of the customers is not given enough emphasis and the complaints are not dealt with properly.
The apps themselves are prone to glitches which lead to misunderstanding and conflict between passengers and riders. There have been many instances of terrible accidents taking place on the streets due to reckless driving by the riders. There have also been reports of sexual harassment against the passengers and the safety of women using these apps has been brought into question.
The government should put strict
legislature in place which would make
it difficult for ride-sharing apps to
proliferate further
The popularity of ride-sharing apps has caused an increase in the number of motorbikes and cars as many people are using these as a lucrative source of income. This has caused a huge increase in traffic congestion on the roads in just a few years.
Ride-sharing apps only allow one or two people to travel per vehicle which cannot be a solution for mass-transport. We must instead focus our efforts to improve mass transportation systems such as buses and metro-trains as a permanent solution to the country’s traffic congestion problem.
The government should put strict legislature in place which would make it difficult for ride-sharing apps to proliferate further as they are exacerbating the problem of traffic. The companies operating these apps should be held to a higher standard in terms of quality service and ensuring the safety of passengers.