E-hailing drivers to register for PSV licence next year

KUALA LUMPUR: All e-hailing drivers will be required to register for Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence like other taxi drivers starting January next year.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said these drivers would be given a period until July 12 2019 to obtain their PSV licences including undergoing the PSV course.

“E-hailing regulations have been gazetted. Registration of drivers will have held from January to July 2019.

“After July 12 2019, we will start enforcing the new regulations as all e-hailing drivers must have PSV registration and licence, insurance and vehicles which are more than three years old will be required to undergo inspection,” he told reporters at Parliament lobby here yesterday.

Earlier, Loke had a meeting with Big Blue Taxi Facilities Sdn Bhd adviser, Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail at Parliament Building to discuss the issue.

Shamsubahrin was reported to have said the company’s taxi drivers would not be holding a protest against the ministry until Jan 1 2019 after Loke gave his assurance that all e-hailing drivers would not be exempted from PSV licence like taxi drivers starting next year.

Meanwhile, Loke advised ehailing drivers not to wait to the last minute to register for their PSV licence.

He also said at the moment, ehailing operator registration for companies which want to offer e-hailing service was still going on since July.

He is confident more companies will move to the e-hailing service as the market is much wider.

“It is open to any company. We do not want only one company to monopolise e-hailing service.