Grabcar welcomes regulation

Car hailing service in talks with govt officials as nation embraces new transport tech

JOHOR BARU: The provider of private hire car hailing service GrabCar, is looking forward to the day when the service is regulated in the country.

Grab Malaysia country manager Jaygan Fu said the company has been discussing the issue with the relevant authorities, including the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).

“We have been meeting regularly and cannot recall how many times we have seen the officials,” he told reporters at the launch of GrabCar here yesterday.

Fu said they would continue to discuss matters on the regulation of ride-hailing apps in the country.

He was confident that the Government would regulate the applications sooner or later as Malaysia needed to embrace technology to make transportation accessible to all.

“We are here not to deny the livelihood of taxi drivers but are giving alternative choices to users, whether they want to hire a taxi or travel in a private hire car,” said Fu.

He said Johor Baru was the second place in the country offering GrabCar services after the Klang Valley, where it launched in 2014.

“Johor Baru is poised for great development and we see an avenue for us to introduce our services as an affordable alternative transportation option to the people here,” said Fu.

He said in Malaysia, users have a choice of paying in cash or using a credit or debit card for the service.

Fu said customers paid based on the rate displayed on the apps regardless of whether they were stuck in traffic congestion as there was no running fare-meter.