Jamaica’s Transport Authority has reminded potential public transportation service providers desirous of participating in ride-sharing services that they must have road licences and badges to operate these services locally.

The authority issued the reminder after ride-sharing giant Uber announced last week said that its app will soon be available locally in Kingston, St Andrew, and St Catherine.

In a recent release, Uber said Jamaicans can sign up on the app to lease their cars and earn money by giving leases in their area.

The leases, Uber said, are to be covered by local insurance company Guardian Limited.

When the Jamaica Observer contacted Guardian for a response to the release, the company said it had “no comment on the matter at this time” and directed the newspaper to Uber’s local communications representative.

Up to press time an e-mail sent to the representative was not answered.

Uber said, “Individuals that meet the criteria will be able to sign up as a lessor partner in order to soon begin offering their vehicle to move users across areas in Kingston, St Andrew and St Catherine.”

It said that interested persons over the age of 21 must “own a vehicle model year 2010 or newer; present key documents such as valid driver’s licence, vehicle registration, and vehicle insurance,” as part of its qualification requirement. These persons can then move to download the app and register to become a lessor partner.

“The app in the country will also have strengthened background checks and reinforced policies that put safety first,” it said, citing mask verification technology, ride check and lessor partner assistance as some of the innovations to be made available.

The latest move by Uber comes two years after the company first sought to enter Jamaica. However, the talks it held then with local transport officials were not successful.

Last week, the Transport Authority said, in keeping with its thrust to provide a liberalised public transportation sector, it welcomes newcomers to the market and is “cautioning such individuals or companies to comply with the laws governing public transportation to ensure the protection, safety and security of the commuting public”.

The authority reiterated that in order to comply with the law, individuals desirous of providing ride-sharing services must:

• Submit an application to the Transport Authority accompanied by vehicle documents, motor vehicle inspection report, payment receipt, L-form, proof of address, identification card and police record;

• Make an application for a badge by completing an application form accompanied by two recommendation letters, police record, proof of address, PPV driver’s licence, payment receipt and complete the mandatory training course.

The authority said its customer care team is available at 1-888-991-5687 to provide individuals with the required support, Mondays – Fridays from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm.

It also reminded people who provide public transportation services without the requisite road licences or badges that they will face prosecution.

Uber, which is already available in over 10,000 cities worldwide and 69 countries across six continents, connects people who want to move from their point of origin to a destination, with a person who is willing to lease their vehicle and drive.

The company said that globally the platform has completed more than 15 billion trips, and in 2019 covered 6.9 billion miles. It also said that each day people make 12 million trips using the Uber app.