Al-Rifai indicated that this comes in implementation of the Cabinet’s decision issued on June 26, 2020, which stipulates increasing the operational life of each licensed mode of public transport for an additional year, as compensation for their damages from the pandemic. He stressed that this decision has not been implemented on vehicles running on smart applications so far, despite the many requests for its implementation.

He said that if this decision is implemented, as promised by the Director of the Authority, an additional year will be added to all vehicle models, and this year begins after the drivers license their vehicles directly by the Authority, each according to the date of his licensing.
He explained that this decision will save thousands of drivers who are financially distressed as a result of their loan installments, especially those who own the 2016 and 2017 models.

Regarding the drivers’ main demand, which is to increase the operational life to 10 years instead of 7, Al-Rifai explained that the authority’s director told them that he would raise this requirement to the Council of Ministers soon to be studied. And the number of drivers reaches about 11,000 drivers working on four licensed applications.

Car owners operating on smart transportation applications in Jordan are calling on the government to increase the operational life of vehicles, which is currently set at 7 years, to 10 years.

Car owners and workers on them consider that the period specified as the operational life of smart application cars is insufficient, as they are not allowed to operate after 7 years have passed since their manufacture, which results in financial obligations, losses, and the accumulation of debts and installments due to agents, banks and creditors.

The number of cars operating under smart applications is estimated at more than 10 thousand cars, in light of the demand for them from the unemployed, and workers in the public and private sectors, in search of another source of income to improve their living conditions, due to low salaries and wages, high prices and spending requirements on basic services such as health. education and others.
The New Arab

Lawrence Al-Rifai, Chairman of the Unified Committee for “Smart Application Captains” in Jordan, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “Our contacts are continuing with the relevant government agencies in order to increase the operational life of smart application cars, to more than 7 years, because this period is not sufficient to pay off financial obligations.” incurred by its owners and covering the car’s price.”

He added that a large number of cars will end their service life during the current and next two years, unless the government responds to our demands to extend the period to help their owners, especially since the cars are free of any defects and can operate efficiently.

And Al-Rifai indicated that about (4,500) vehicles working with licensed smart application companies will end their operational life during the current year and next year, without their owners having finished paying their obligations, and therefore they are subject to seizure of their vehicles or imprisonment of the owner for his inability to pay and the accumulation of installments since the pandemic. Corona, which witnessed unusual measures such as curfews, rationing of vehicles, and disruption of universities and public sector employees.

And Al-Rifai indicated that banks and financing agencies do not accept granting car owners new loans and financial facilities, unless the accumulated installments are paid, and this requires some time and an increase in the operating life of cars working with applications.
He said that about (1,500) vehicles were seized during the last period of the current year, and their owners are wanted by the judicial authorities because of the lawsuits filed against them by banks and financial institutions.
A meeting held last week, which included the Director General of the Land Transport Regulatory Authority, Abdul Rahim Al-Wreikat, and representatives of smart application drivers, resulted in positive signs of the possibility of agreeing to increase the operating life of vehicles in this sector by an additional year.
The head of the unified committee of “smart application captains” said that the director of the authority pledged to them during the meeting to increase the operational life by an additional year for vehicles that worked before and only during the Corona pandemic, as compensation for them.