Punjab's move to amend its 1965 Motor Vehicles Ordinance and formally include app-based ride-hailing services has drawn praise from experts, but they caution that the proposed rules could inadvertently harm the very drivers the reform aims to protect. While updating the outdated law is a necessary step for passenger safety, accountability, and tax compliance, the current draft of Section 44B imposes disproportionate costs and administrative hurdles on gig workers, according to industry analysts. Main Developments Section 44B requires drivers to obtain route permits that are both district-specific and platform-specific, a structure experts say ignores the reality of modern urban mobility. In metropolitan areas, a single trip often crosses multiple district boundaries, and drivers routinely use several apps to sustain earnings. Under the proposed framework, crossing an invisible district line without the correct permit could leave drivers operating illegally. Read also: Gilani Honors 1931 Kashmir Martyrs, Urges Global Action Experts argue that the compliance burden is severe: drivers must apply to multiple Regional Transport Authority offices, assemble extensive documentation, and pay recurring annual fees across up to 30-plus districts and several platforms. These tasks demand time, money, and institutional know-how that many gig drivers lack. The likely result is unequal compliance—larger fleets and well-resourced networks will manage, while marginal drivers will be pushed out or forced into informal work, defeating the law's goal of formalization. Background The Motor Vehicles Ordinance of 1965, which the amendment seeks to update, was written long before smartphones, algorithmic dispatch, or platform-based labor existed. Official labor statistics cited by experts show persistent unemployment and constrained formal job creation in Pakistan, making flexible platform work a critical source of predictable daily income for many. Drivers, however, face persistent inflation, rising urban utility bills, and fuel-price volatility, making every kilometre a careful financial calculation. Adding recurring permit fees to already thin margins, experts warn, is not a neutral policy tweak but an economic shock. The current draft treats modern urban mobility as if each trip began and ended within neat administrative boxes, ignoring the cross-district nature of ride-hailing services. Why It Matters If implemented as drafted, the law could push vulnerable drivers out of the formal economy, undermining the very objectives of passenger safety, accountability, and tax compliance. Unequal compliance would benefit larger operators while marginalizing individual drivers, many of whom rely on platform work to juggle family responsibilities. The reform's failure to match operational reality could also set a precedent for other provinces, which experts say are likely to follow Punjab's lead. What's Next Experts recommend a province-wide single permit model that would provide regulatory oversight, traceability, and accountability while matching the operational reality of app-based mobility. Such a model would simplify enforcement, reduce bureaucratic hurdles for drivers, and give platforms a clear point of compliance. If Punjab adopts a practical, driver-centred approach now, other provinces may follow suit, the analysts added.