‘Consumers have a choice to use Gojek or not’
Gojek met PM to submit a proposal and has not made an official request yet, says Loke
PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has defended the government’s move to allow Indonesian motorcycle ehailing service Gojek to operate here.
Responding to questions related to safety of the service, the Prime Minister said it was up to the people if they want to use Gojek or not.
“If you don’t feel safe, don’t use it.
“You have a choice. We are not forcing anyone to take the motorcycle ride-hailing service,” he added.
The cabinet yesterday had given the greenlight for Gojek to operate in Malaysia.
However, legislations on the ehailing service have yet to be discussed or finalised.
Dr Mahathir said the introduction of Gojek would also benefit small businesses.
He added the government had previously received offers (from local companies) to helm the motorcycle e-hailing service but they were not very organised.
He said certain quarters would always oppose a new policy or programme that the government wanted to introduce.
“We want to ensure whatever we do benefits the people. The same goes with Gojek,” he added.
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had recently said the government wanted to bring Gojek to Malaysia, adding that the service would create a lot of job opportunities for motorcyclists in the country.
Gojek has thus far launched its operations in Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore.
Apart from Malaysia, it has also identified Myanmar and Cambodia as its next expansion target.
THE Transport Ministry will conduct a detailed research and produce a report on the proposed motorcycle e-hailing service within a month, said Minister Anthony Loke.
He said the study was to provide a direction or mechanism for the implementation of the new public transport service, which included its rules and regulations.
In addition, he said, the study would consider security, insurance and culture, and look at the implementation of the service in
other countries.
“We (the ministry) want to give priority to safety.”
He said many ministries supported the service as it could be an economical mode of transport and benefit small- and mediumscale enterprises, as well as ecommerce.
“We are focusing on the (motorcycle e-hailing service) mechanism.
“When it is ready, we will announce it because we want to ensure its safety as a mode of public transport,” he said after launching the Seremban parliamentary level Jalur Gemilang programme at SMK Panchor here yesterday.
Loke said the service would complement and not replace other public transport services, such as trains or buses.
He said this was because the main problem faced by commuters in Kuala Lumpur was to get a public transport to reach their workplace or home after arriving at a bus or train station.
“Once everything is finalised, we will open the application. Any motorcycle taxi service company can then register.
“There have been reports that we approved a request made by Gojek. It’s not true. They met the prime minister a few days ago to submit the proposal.
“There has been no official request.”
On the Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s (KLIA) systems
disruption yesterday, he said the ministry had yet to receive a full report on it.
“I’m aware of the problem. I apologise for any inconvenience caused. I requested Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) to provide the latest information on the situation.”
It was reported that the interruption had affected airport systems, such as WiFi connectivity, flight information display system, check-in counters and baggage handling system.
MAHB said the disruption had started on Wednesday night and the situation was being fixed.