Damascus-SANA
The Presidency of the Council of Ministers issued executive instructions for the use of the electronic application to transport passengers in accordance with Law No. 16 of 2021, which allows licensed companies and small and medium-sized tourist cars, microbuses with no more than ten passengers, and registered in the category of passenger transport according to the electronic application system.
The Director of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Eng. Manhal Junaidi, explained in a statement to a representative of SANA that, according to the executive instructions, a company wishing to obtain a license to transport passengers through the use of the electronic application is required to be a legal person established in Syria in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Law, and from a technical point of view, it must abide by the technical specifications determined by the Authority within the standard license granted to it.
Junaidi indicated that the instructions stipulated that the vehicle must meet several conditions upon permitting, including that it be technically ready and subject to a technical examination by the Directorate of Transport to ensure that it conforms to its restrictions kept with the Ministry before obtaining the permit, and that the vehicle's driving license is valid and that the vehicle's age does not exceed twenty years From the date of manufacture and to be obligatory insurance in accordance with the provisions of the insurance system in accordance with the insurance imposed on a public vehicle of the same category.
Junaidi pointed out that the conditions also stipulated that the vehicle should carry a special sticker and a notice that clearly shows the commitment of the licensed company to provide the vehicles with the necessary location device to track the vehicle in accordance with the Authority’s controls. In his judgment and owner of the vehicle and not have been convicted of a heinous crime and hold a driving license that authorizes him to drive the vehicle indicating that it is prohibited to transport passengers through the use of electronic applications except after obtaining the necessary license and permit in accordance with the provisions of this system.
As for the company’s tag “application name”, Junaidi explained that after obtaining the permit, a transparent sticker should be placed between the company’s logo, name and symbol approved by the Ministry of Transport on the inside windshield, stressing that the transparent mark must be removed from the vehicle in the event of the contract with service provider.
Among the conditions for providing the service, according to Junaidi, is the obligation of the driver of the vehicle to conduct a daily technical inspection of the vehicle before driving it to ensure the safety of the vehicle and the availability of first aid equipment and fire extinguishing devices, not to eat or drink or use the phone while driving, not to smoke inside the vehicle, and to wear a decent dress and pay the specified fare. According to the principles and mechanism of calculating the approved wages, indicating that the driver does not use any vehicle other than the vehicle he is authorized to work on to provide passenger transportation services through the use of electronic applications and not to provide transportation services using electronic applications after the validity period of the permit or license has expired. Junaidi added:According to the instructions, the licensee is obligated to provide a clear basis and mechanism for calculating transportation fees to the Ministry and the Authority in detail that takes into account any classifications of the service provider, if any, to be approved “service fees and transportation fees” with the right of the committee formed by the Ministry of Transportation and composed of members from the relevant ministries to make any amendments On transportation fees before starting to provide the service and the company's commitment to work with it, pointing out that the authority follows up on complaints about subscribers and the mechanism for ensuring their rights in accordance with what is included in the standard license and the Ministry of Transport with regard to service providers.
Junaidi indicated that the instructions included that the licencee has the right to request a review of the basis and mechanism for calculating wages for transporting passengers using electronic applications, provided that the necessary justifications are provided to the Ministry “transport fees” and the authority “service fees.”
The authority called on all companies wishing to work in transporting passengers through the use of the electronic application to submit applications for obtaining a standard license by the authority before obtaining the final approval from the Ministry of Transport in accordance with the executive instructions of the law, indicating that it is studying the possibility of using electronic payment for those wishing to use this application as an additional feature. For applications that have a license, the pricing will also be determined later by the Authority and the Ministry of Transport based on the economic feasibility study submitted by the companies that wish to obtain the license.
Nour Youssef
