Amman, Nov. 5 (Petra) -Yellow taxi offices offering ride-hailing services are now subject to new licensing rules published on Thursday in the Official Gazette.
The 2026 regulations establish a comprehensive regulatory framework overseeing app-based taxi operations, technical standards, and supervisory mechanisms.
Under the new rules, individual taxi offices or consortiums registered as official companies may apply for an e-hailing license from the Land Transport Regulatory Commission (LTRC), provided they meet financial, technical, and operational requirements. Operating, advertising, or contracting ride-hailing services without a license is prohibited.
Licensed companies must deploy applications equipped with GPS tracking, electronic payment systems, and robust cybersecurity and data privacy protections. Fares and commission structures must receive prior LTRC approval, and apps must display estimated fares or calculation methods to passengers before trip confirmation.
Geographically, vehicles may transport passengers from their authorized home governorate to destinations outside it, but apps are prohibited from dispatching new ride requests outside that designated zone. Operators must implement electronic geofencing to automatically suspend incoming requests when a vehicle exits its home area until it returns.
Vehicle eligibility criteria mandate that taxis cannot exceed an operational age of 12 years from their manufacturing date. Cars must be fully licensed, insured, air-conditioned, and outfitted with approved tracking and surveillance equipment. Drivers must meet specific health, licensing, and professional qualification standards to operate on smart applications.
To inforce oversight, the LTRC will maintain direct electronic links to operators' systems to monitor trip, operational, and safety data in real time, as well as handle digital passenger complaints. Companies are forbidden from sharing or selling passenger data to third parties.
Additionally, the regulations govern promotional discounts, ban misleading pricing, prohibit shared multi-passenger pickups on a single trip, and outline specific penalties for non-compliant operators to protect service quality and user safety.
//Petra// HA
