Uber and other ridesharing apps banned in Jamaica

With an uptick in criminal activity linked to ridesharing apps in Jamaica, the island’s Minister of Transport Daryl Vaz announced that he is recommending a ban on ridesharing or ride-hailing apps, with immediate effect.

He made the announcement Tuesday afternoon in the House of Representatives.

“My recommendation as of today, which will obviously have to be vetted for legal purposes, is that a ban on all of those ridesharing apps with immediate effect, until such time as we can come to the table and work out properly, how these apps will be regulated in terms of making sure safety, background checks of the drivers are done not only by the rideshare apps but by the Jamaican authorities – the police or the Transport Authority,” said Vaz.