Bad news for taxi drivers!

Jordan has officially begun the licensing process of ride-hailing firms in the country.

On Thursday, one of the official newspapers in the Kingdom published a list of the conditions ride-hailing firms and their drivers must comply with to be licensed.

The Conditions

1. The driver must be Jordanian
2. The driver must not be over the age of 60
3. The driver must not have a criminal record
4. The driver must not have any serious health issues
5. The drivers must have had a driver’s license for at least three years
6. The driver’s car must be owned by him or a direct relative of his
7. The car must not be older than five years
8. The car must be fully licensed and insured
9. The car must have a sticker declaring the ride-hailing firm it works for
10. The ride-hailing firm must pay 100,000 JOD to obtain/renew a work license
11. The ride-hailing firm must provide a bank guarantee of 20,000 JOD under the name of the company’s General Manager
12. The ride-hailing firm must pay a 200 JOD work permit fee.

Ride-hailing firms are prohibited from operating their cars until they have obtained a licence and permit from the Land Transport Regulatory Commission (LTRC) and submitted their registration certificate to the Companies Control Department (CCD).

Taxi drivers in Jordan have protested against ride-hailing apps more than seven consecutive times over the past two years.

The taxi drivers say that since people have started using the apps, their work has sharply declined.

There are around 16,000 taxis across the Kingdom, with 11,500 of them located in Amman.