Nearly a year after a brutal murder of a schoolteacher linked to unregulated ride-hailing services prompted an immediate industry ban, Jamaica’s government has taken a major step toward formalizing long-term rules for the rapidly growing mobility sector. Transport Minister Daryl Vaz confirmed Tuesday that the national Cabinet has formally signed off on plans to develop a country-wide ride-hailing policy, which will serve as the bedrock for a full regulatory regime to govern all app-based ride services operating across the island.
Speaking during his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in Parliament, Vaz emphasized that bringing structure and oversight to ride-hailing remains one of the administration’s top priorities as it works to modernize Jamaica’s entire transport network. “Our goal is to build a system that delivers safe, regulated, and accessible mobility for every Jamaican,” he told lawmakers.
To keep the policy development process on track and ensure all affected parties have a seat at the table, Vaz announced that a dedicated steering committee has already been formed to provide cross-sector oversight and facilitate ongoing stakeholder engagement. The next critical milestone in the process will be the drafting of a policy Green Paper, which outlines the government’s initial proposals for public discussion. Vaz confirmed that work on this draft is already progressing at pace, with a target to table the document in Parliament within the next four months.
In a commitment to full transparency, the minister added that once the draft policy is completed, it will be opened up to wide-ranging public scrutiny. This open consultation period will allow ordinary citizens, existing ride-hailing operators, transport unions, and other key stakeholders to share feedback that will shape the final regulatory framework. Vaz outlined the core priorities the new policy will deliver: beyond just bringing unregulated services into compliance, the framework will protect public safety, foster fair competition between all transport providers, and improve overall mobility access for communities across Jamaica.
Vaz also issued a clear warning to any unlicensed operators currently working outside existing Jamaican transport laws. “There are already laws and regulations that govern the transport sector in this country, and nobody — no matter how large or powerful they are — will be allowed to undermine that,” he said. “You either operate within the rules we have put in place, or we will take appropriate enforcement action.”
In a parallel move to address ongoing industry concerns, Vaz noted that he has agreed with Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett to hold a dedicated meeting with sector stakeholders, following multiple requests for discussions to align ongoing industry needs with the government’s policy rollout.
The current push for formal regulation traces back to June 2024, when Vaz announced an immediate ban on all unregulated ride-hailing and ride-sharing apps, a decision that came in direct response to a national tragedy. Just one day before the ban was announced, Jamaican police confirmed that human remains found in Salt River, Clarendon, were believed to be those of Danielle Anglin, a missing primary and infant school teacher from St Peter Claver. Anglin had disappeared on May 13 while traveling to work from her home in Hellshire, St Catherine, after booking a trip through a ride-hailing app.
Then Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey told reporters at the time that the primary suspect in Anglin’s kidnapping and murder had already been arrested on sexual assault charges back in 2015. He also highlighted a critical gap in oversight: the lack of formal information sharing between local law enforcement and unregulated ride-hailing companies had created major barriers to the investigation. In July 2024, forensic testing officially confirmed the remains belonged to Anglin, and 45-year-old Lascelles Morgan, a convicted sex offender and taxi operator from Willowdene, St Catherine, was arrested and charged with murder and kidnapping. Morgan died in November 2024, 12 days after attempting suicide while in custody at Portmore Police Station.
When announcing the 2024 ban during his contribution to that year’s Sectoral Debate, Vaz explained he had been compelled to act after receiving formal correspondence from a senior police official outlining the public safety risks. At the time, he proposed the ban remain in place until formal regulations could be put in place to require mandatory background checks for all ride-hailing drivers, conducted jointly by app operators and Jamaican law enforcement and transport authorities. The new national policy is designed to address exactly these gaps, tackling longstanding safety vulnerabilities while creating a fair, level operating environment for all transport service providers across the country.