Thumbs-up from Grabcar and Uber for govt recognition

KUALA LUMPUR: Well known e-hailing service companies, Uber and Grabcar welcome the Malaysian Government’s recognition of their services following the passing of the Land Public Transport (Amendment) Bill 2017 and the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board Act (Amendment) Bill 2017 in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

Both companies described the achievement as a milestone for the e-hailing industry in the country, working alongside the authorities to improve and elevate the standards of the local land public transportation infrastructure and services.

Uber Malaysia head of communications, Leigh Wong said the recognition underlined the government’s support for the innovative business model of the e-hailing service as an important driver of economic growth, providing new, costeffective transportation options and helping address challenges of congestion and pollution.

He said the overall spirit of the regulations is clearly aimed at improving the entire industry - ultimately benefiting consumers.

“These laws send a clear message that e-hailing service is here to stay and will have the potential to go a long way towards solving urban mobility issues and transforming the country’s transportation landscape,” he told Bernama when contacted yesterday.

The bill among others enforces similar requirements imposed on taxi drivers to drivers of ehailing vehicles, which include registering to operate a public vehicle service; undergo compulsory medical checkups; undergo periodic vehicle inspection; have proper insurance scheme and display the driver’s identification card.

Meanwhile, Grabcar Malaysia country head, Sean Goh in a statement described the requirements as providing a level playing field for all and would certainly benefit relevant stakeholders, especially the passengers and Grabcar’s driverpartners, regardless of whether they are taxi or Grabcar drivers.

He also thanked the government for providing the service operator a grace period of one year to review their operations to comply with requirements.