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Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said there was no immediate ban on ride-sharing apps because local telecommunications companies refused to block them.
Vaz announced the move to ban ride-sharing apps in a departmental report in the House of Representatives on June 4.
However, Vaz said at a press conference on Friday that only one telecommunications company had responded to his letter requesting restricted access to the app.
He said: “The response was delayed and arrived six days after the letter was sent.”
“While the company does not object to the ban, it has requested supporting legal documents to show that it has the authority to impose such restrictions. The other telecom provider has not yet responded. Therefore, no ban has been imposed at this time,” he said.
Vaz said he would work with the national security minister, the attorney general and the cabinet to develop regulations to prevent telecommunications companies from refusing government requests to protect national security.
“I feel very strongly that any government minister who believes or deems any issue to be a national security risk should enact relevant legislation and it should be made clear that it is a direction and an order, not a request,” Vaz said.
He said the government had decided to allow local ride-sharing companies to continue operating while a regulatory framework was put in place.
Vaz argued that while his announcement did not have the intended impact, it brought several ride-hailing operators to the negotiating table for a much-needed conversation to standardize and streamline services.
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