TRANSPORT Minister Daryl Vaz on Friday rapped operators of international ride-share platform inDrive for ignoring months of efforts by both law enforcement and Government to engage it in dialogue and only surfacing on Thursday after a decision was taken to ban ride-share applications for a year.

“It has taken drastic action to bring these people to the table,” Vaz said in a follow-up statement to a letter from inDrive’s Jose Manuel Gandarilla who, in voicing concerns about the ban, requested a meeting with Vaz.

“We have been trying to contact them, including the police, in recent months with no success… I want to make it very clear that regardless of the size of the company Jamaica is a sovereign country and no company — despite its size, magnitude or financial success — will be allowed to disregard our rules or regulations and communication with the relevant authorities,” the transport minister declared while saying he will grant the consultation.

“I am happy that this has happened, but I am very sorry that I had to take the action that I was forced to take in order to bring inDrive to the table. Thankfully now we have all ride-share operators — both local and international — in contact with us, and this will make it that much easier for us to work out the safety and regulatory matters and get everybody back on track,” Vaz stated.

InDrive is a ride-share application that is said to have a presence in more than 600 cities across 48 countries.

Gandarilla, in the letter to Vaz, said the company had “been closely following up on the ban on ride-hailing platforms imposed by your charter for a duration of 12 months”.

“As representatives of inDrive we are deeply concerned about the impact this ban will have on the broader transportation ecosystem in Jamaica, particularly on the well-being of users and drivers that depend on the provision of these services. We believe that ride-hailing services play a crucial role in providing convenient, safe, and reliable transportation options for Jamaican citizens and visitors alike. Our platform has been dedicated to improving mobility and accessibility while creating economic opportunities for drivers in the Jamaican community,” Gandarilla said.

On Tuesday, while making his presentation to the 2024/25 Sectoral Debate in Parliament, Vaz announced an immediate ban on all ride-sharing apps operating here until a regulatory framework is in place.

The announcement came following Monday’s gruesome discovery of skeletal remains believed to be that of St Catherine educator Danielle Anglin who had been missing since Monday, May 13 when she left her Hellshire Park house in St Catherine for work at St Peter Claver Primary and Infant School in St Andrew.

Police said the suspect in her murder is a driver from inDrive Jamaica and that they had him in custody. They also said he is a convicted sex offender and deportee and has given a statement detailing his involvement in Anglin’s death.

Gandarilla, in his letter, said the company was “aware of the terrible incident involving Anglin” and had been in close communication with the lead police investigator in the matter to “guarantee that we provide all the support required”.

He also said the company has “confirmed that the driver was not offering his services through our platform, and Ms Anglin used inDrive for the last time several days before her unfortunate disappearance”.

“Recognising the concerns that may have led to the imposition of the ban, we would like to request a meeting with you at your earliest convenience to discuss potential alternatives to address these concerns while allowing ride-hailing services to continue operating in Jamaica” inDrive said, adding, “we are committed to working collaboratively with the ministry to develop a regulatory framework that ensures the safety, efficiency, and fairness of our services”.

On Monday, Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of crime Fitz Bailey, in providing details about Anglin’s disappearance, said ride-share operations have been a thorn in the side of investigators because of their dependence on in-app communications and the absence of physical bases.

“One of the challenges that we are faced with as investigators is, we do not have any local-based association or organisation that we can contact when investigating cases involving these types of services — and it is something that I will be taking up with the relevant authorities to ensure that more structure is put in place to treat with these types of associations or organisations. It is posing a serious challenge to our investigative efforts,” the crime chief stated.

Speaking with Jamaica Observer further on Monday, Bailey said the police received “no input whatsoever” from the ride-share outfit in solving the teacher’s disappearance up to that time.

On Friday an Observer source close to the investigations, in responding to inDrive’s insistence that Anglin used the app several days before her death, questioned the omission of her travel dates.

“The suspect was contacted by Miss Anglin through the inDrive platform. This was also confirmed by someone very close to the suspect,” the individual insisted while questioning inDrive’s conclusion since the name and particulars of the suspect have not been disclosed.

“How could they arrive at their conclusion?” the source asked.