Go-Jek: Women’s safety to get priority – Syed Saddiq

KUALA LUMPUR: Women’s safety will be top priority when they ride on the Gojek motorcycles, said Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

He said with the safety standards to be enforced on the e-hailing ride services, women passengers will have several options when sharing the ride.

“It is better for the Minister of Transport to talk on this (safety) but the safety requirements will definitely be in place.

“In other countries for example, they have the Pink Version Gojek exclusively for women ... giving women greater choice,” he said when met by reporters at the closing of the second session of the ‘Bicara Merdeka’ programme here yesterday.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) stands firm on the issue of safety of women and children taking Gojek rides.

Its Deputy Minister Hannah Yeoh said the ministry would discuss on the proposal and mechanism for the motorcycle ride hailing services at length, after receiving the details from the Transport Ministry (MOT).

“Regardless of the mode of transport, be it Grab Car, Gojek or whatever, the safety of children, women and of course the disabled, is of paramount importance to the ministry.

“Once we have the details from MOT we will review the framework and formally submit our proposals,” she said after opening the Titiwangsa Senior Citizens Activity Centre (PAWE) at PPR Hiliran Ampang here, yesterday.

She said this when asked on the ministry’s views on preventing women from being caught in unwanted situations when using the motorcycle transport service.

On Friday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook was reported as saying that he was confident that a new mechanism for the ride hailing service would be established taking into consideration the safety of riders and passengers as well as Muslims’ sensitivity towards the ride-sharing issue. - Bernama