British diplomat killing reignites fears about taxi safety in Beirut

LONDON: Rana, a 32-year-old Lebanese woman, decided to stop using Uber taxis after a female British Embassy employee was murdered in Beirut by a driver who worked for the company.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat, she said that the murder “proved that Uber taxis are unsafe” and said that “women are now extremely concerned about using taxis ordered through the famous application.”
The attack on Saturday not only raised questions about the company’s drivers but reopened the debate about how safe taxis are in general, considering the accounts of women who have been harassed by taxi drivers and the amount of reports received by police.
During an annual lunch event held by the Beirut municipality, the Lebanese Ministry of Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Machnouk warned citizens: “Do not use Uber’s services because they are dangerous.”
Charles Abu Harb, the chairman of taxi company owners in Lebanon, said that Uber contravened Lebanese transport laws which prevent foreign companies from working in Lebanon “because the owners of the company are not Lebanese.” He said that Lebanese transport laws passed in 2012 set specific conditions for international companies that intend to operate in Lebanon with a license and that Uber did not meet these conditions.
Abu Harb said that Uber was breaking the law because it did not obtain an official license from the Lebanese authorities and because the company uses private vehicles. This was against the law, as confirmed by the director general of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, who said in a statement that the law restricts taxi drivers to operating from public vehicles.
Listing some of the concerns that he had about Uber drivers, Abu Harb said “obtaining a license in Lebanon is much easier than in London, for example, and it does not ensure that the driver is qualified and efficient.”
He added that Uber drivers are not monitored by an official body to see where they go and determine who they are, whether they are fit to drive and whether passengers will be safe while traveling with them.
While the recent incident raised concerns about Uber, it has also raised questions about the safety of using ordinary taxis.
Sarah, a 26-year-old Lebanese woman, told Asharq Al-Awsat that she stopped using taxis after her first year at university when a “taxi driver tried to harass me”.