Dhaka's communication and commuting landscape is undergoing a radical change, largely imperceptibly though. With app-based ride services like Uber, Pathao and others being increasingly availed by the city residents, the phase of auto-rickshaws appears to be on the verge of petering out. The middle-class passengers travelling in-city long distances had virtually reached their tether's end: the exhausting squabbles with the auto-rickshaw or CNG drivers over fare day in and day out lately proved too taxing for the passengers. Just in this predicament of theirs, the riding and ride sharing services emerged as a great relief to them. The services were wholeheartedly welcomed by the troubled passengers - obviously to the chagrin of the CNG operators.
These app-based online services available on new-generation smart phones are highly user-friendly, comfortable and secure. On top of all, it is free of the bothersome argument over fare with the drivers. In this state-of-the-art service, the passengers' mobile phones guide everything from calling a car or motorbike, fare-fixing to dropping the ride sharer at the exact point of destination. Outwardly a taxicab service, it is, in fact, a semi-automated one with the driver operating the system.
The launch of the app-based ride system in Dhaka plagued by scores of commuters' woes could be termed part of a universal rule. Old systems at a certain point of time have to take exit to make way for the more time-befitting ones. It also applies to the modes of transport. The city's once ubiquitous horse-drawn box carriages are a case in point. The manually driven transport has long been lodged in memory. People involved with the country's network of auto-rickshaws, now running on compressed natural gas (CNG), may have to finally accept the unpalatable reality. As the embittered passengers view it, it is the excesses and imprudence on the part of a section of auto-rickshaw drivers and owners that has led to this difficult situation. It is estimated that there are 13,000 registered and a similar number of unregistered CNGs plying in the capital. Until November, 10,000 Uber cars were pressed into service in Dhaka. What might sound highly distressing for the CNG operators is hundreds of these app-based cars are being registered every day. The ride service requests through smart phones are also on continued rise. Given this extent of commuters being weaned off by Uber and other similar services, the CNG operators' simmering resentment is understandable. Large numbers of youths are being enrolled in this app-based employment. They also include drivers working for different companies. Visibly, the attraction stems from the urge to grab an employment opportunity and earn some extra bucks.
The jitters and apprehension of the auto-rickshaw operators cannot be overlooked, as it involves livelihood of thousands of people. In this dilemmatic situation the authorities, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) in particular, ought to come up prominently. To the relief of the CNG sector, it has not been left in the lurch. The authorities concerned have reportedly been looking into the legal aspects of the app-based services. The government, as recent reports in the media indicate, is now serious about enforcing regulations on the operation of the much-welcomed ride-sharing cars and motorbikes. The crux of the whole episode is proper facilitation of the app-based transport services, and at the same time, making CNG travels fully passenger-friendly.