Punjab govt barred from action against taxi service

LAHORE

The Lahore High Court on Friday stopped the Punjab government from taking any "adverse or illegal" action against ride sharing A-One taxi service.

Justice Shahid Waheed issued notices to respondents, including Punjab Transport Authority and Chief Traffic Officer, Lahore for their reply by February 20, the next date of hearing. The court issued this order on a petition of Muhammad Rafique Shehzad.

The petitioner, through his counsel Malik Saleem Iqbal Awan, submitted that he was running a cab operating company with name A-1 Cars. He said through this service, he was facilitating citizens according to the standard of above and international level cab service. He said 800 people daily use and hire cabs of his service for their peaceful, painless and luxury travelling against meagre fare charges.

He said he was regulated and licenced by mayor of London for this business. He said he also made undertaking that they were ready to meet with all legal requirements for getting licence to operate cab service to operate private hire vehicles in Lahore but the government refused his offer saying that there was no codified law to regulate this service.

He said instead of taking legal action to regulate this service, the Punjab provincial transport authority on January 27, 2017 issued a letter for imitating legal action declaring his car service illegal.

He said unlike, Careem and Uber, he is ready to regulate his services; therefore, he said, his services should not be treated on the same pedestal. He said the letter of transport authority declaring A-1 Cars was illegal and unconstitutional. He said without any codified law, notice, warning or any show cause, business of cab service of the petitioner was declared illegal. He said keeping in view public interest and welfare, consistent with provisions of Article 8 of the Constitution, the petitioner should have been given fair opportunity to conduct his business freely, with a provision of better facilities of travel to the passengers in a dignified manner through reliable service. He requested the court to declare the order of the Punjab Transport Authority against his car service illegal. He also requested the court to direct the respondents to issue licence to A-1 Cars for providing cab service to operate private hire vehicles like UK under codified laws. He also requested the court that until the decision of the petition, the respondents should be directed not to take any adverse and illegal action.