DHAKA: The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) today declared Uber taxi service illegal as the company did not take permission from authorities concerned for running such business in the country. Earlier on Tuesday, Uber, a popular taxi-hailing mobile application, launched its operation in Dhaka promising to bring a change in the commuting experience in the busy capital. “We welcome such initiatives, but none took any permission from the authority,” BTRA Director (engineering) Nurul islam told The Daily Star today.
“We searched for the authority or representative of the company in Bangladesh, but could not find any here,” he said adding that: “We will lodge a case against the company under Taxicab Service Guideline and Motor Vehicle Rules of the country if it continues its operation.”The BRTA, in its notice published on different newspapers today, said that operating any taxicab service without permission from BRTA or the government is fully unfair, illegal and punishable offence.
