A taxi driver in Lebanon. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on Monday requested the immediate suspension of the rideshare app Bolt in response to complaints and protests from the Taxi Drivers' Union.
Last Tuesday, angry taxi drivers protested deteriorating working conditions and "unfair competition" from private drivers and taxi applications. They blocked several roads in Beirut, causing extended traffic jams.
In a circular issued Monday, Mawlawi asked the Telecommunications Ministry to "stop" the application until it can confirm whether or not Bolt is breaking any laws, referring to the pervasiveness of unregistered vehicles using the app.
In a separate circular, also issued on Monday, Mawlawi asked Internal Security Forces to "stop" taxi drivers that don't have official license plates or those working with fake ones.
As of Monday afternoon, the Bolt app was still operational.
"What do they want? To stop our jobs?" asked Ali Haj Hassan, a member of the Taxi Drivers' Union Ali Haj Hassan and Bolt driver, in response to the Interior Ministry circular.
Contacted by L'Orient Today, Haj Hassan said he believes Mawlawi's request favors buses and vans that "are owned by either politicians or some gangsters."
Bolt became popular in Lebanon following the onset of the 2019 economic crisis. The app provides cheap transportation prices, but features cars and motorcycles that are not always registered with the Taxi Drivers' Union.
'It is unfair'
Haj Hassan said he agrees with the decision to stop motorcycles and car drivers without official taxi license plates.
"But what about me, who is fully legal and with a license plate?" he asked. "It is unfair."
All motorcycle taxis are unregistered with the Taxi Drivers' Union, as there is no process by which they can register.
"We are not taking away the jobs of other taxi drivers," said a motorcycle Bolt driver who agreed to speak to L'Orient Today on condition of anonymity. "We are quicker in traffic, and it's the passengers' choice to pick us."
He said he agrees with the decision to prevent car drivers with no official taxi license plates, but not motorcycles.
Drivers working with Uber, another rideshare app, have repeatedly gone on strike to protest the company's fares, which they say are too low given Lebanon's hyperinflation and increased fuel prices.
Bolt motorcycle drivers have also protested with the same demands.
