Khaberni - Nidal Assaf, advisor to the General Director of the Land Transport Regulation Authority, revealed that the authority has initially agreed to grant 12 companies to work in the transportation field in the local market, through the use of smart applications.
Assaf explained that the authority recently granted the approvals after 30 companies applied for a license from the authority since the publication of the 2025 passenger transport system through the use of smart applications in the Official Gazette on October 16 last, and the instructions issued under it were published on December 6 last, according to Al-Ghad.
Assaf confirmed that the implementation of the passenger transportation system through the use of smart applications for the year 2025 and the instructions issued under it, requires gradual application to avert chaos and confusion and to avoid damaging fair competition, safeguarding the rights of all parties, citizens, companies, and drivers.
Assaf, who is the head of the applications file at the authority, pointed out that Jordan's experience with applications is recent and no substantial amendment has been made to it since the issuance of the first system in 2018.
He noted that the system granted the licensed companies, 4 in total, in addition to the captains providing the service, a grace period of 6 months from the date of the system's issuance or from the date of expiration of the service provider’s license, whichever is longer, to rectify their situations.
In response to demands by Lawrence Rifa'i, chairman of the smart application captains committee, for implementing the regulations and instructions, Assaf confirmed that implementation requires issuing decisions from the authority's board of directors, noting that he asked companies to cooperate in blocks and comply with the pricing (plus 20% over the yellow taxi fare), emphasizing the importance of gradual implementation to avoid any confusions and until the parties are ready, in terms of systems and others within the granted grace period, and not to touch upon fair competition waiting for new companies to be licensed.
He explained that electronic linking needs time to be implemented by all parties, including the authority, pointing out the reaffirmation by the minister of transport to provide all requirements for linking as soon as possible.
Assaf said, "The number of licenses for service providers and the release of the permits granted to them requires caution until the grace period ends, to ensure that the principle of fair competition is not compromised, and to prevent confusions that could harm the service and its parties."
Assaf confirmed that rushing causes harm to everyone, especially since the transport sector through applications will become the largest sector for passenger land transport, which requires gradual application.
He pointed out that the system will ensure competition among companies over the commission they collect from the captain and on the quality of service and the presence of specialized transport within the applications, which serves citizens, service providers, and all parties.
He pointed out that the system imposed an additional fee of 7 Dinars per permit, if the number of vehicles in a company exceeds 3000, emphasizing the need to proceed with the experience steadfastly and to wait for feedback to rectify any flaws or problems that appear during application, and that each year the experience will be studied and evaluated and the necessary adjustments made if required.
In response to not granting new licenses to individuals over 60 years old, Assaf elucidated that the system stated that the companies provide training centers for those wishing to provide the service and raised the system’s age for a service provider from 60 to 65 years, noting that while the granted permits are renewed, new permits are not granted pending the end of the rectification grace period and the provision of training centers for service providers by the companies.
Assaf confirmed that accomplishing electronic linking at the authority and for those licensed will reduce problems and provide monitoring and control of compliance with the pricing and conditions, and improvement of services and ensuring the safety of each party.
Lawrence Rifa'i, chairman of the smart applications captains committee, had demanded the authority to implement the system and instructions, pointing out that the only clause implemented was "raising the fee for an additional captain" on the vehicle from 20 to 100 Dinars.
Rifa'i called for the activation of provisions related to blocks and raising the age for service providers to 65 years, installing monitoring systems and electronic linking, and liberating...
