KUALA LUMPUR: There are no plans to introduce motorcycle e-hailing services in Malaysia as road fatalities among motorcyclists are still high, said deputy transport minister Henry Sum Agong.
He told the Dewan Rakyat that many motorcyclists were also seen to be violating road rules which could pose a danger to other road users.
He was replying to a question from Larry Sng (Ind-Julau) who had asked about the progress of the government’s plan to introduce this service as announced in 2019.
In an immediate response, Sng told the deputy minister that neighbouring countries like Thailand and Indonesia were offering motorcycle e-hailing which seemed to be helping the citizens there.
“Your reply is not convincing. If the neighbouring countries can do it, why not us? Can the ministry introduce strict guidelines and introduce the service instead of stopping it?” he asked.
However, Henry said the decision was based on statistics from the police released in 2019, adding that 64% of the total 6,100 road fatalities that year involved motorcyclists.
Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Ind-Muar) interjected by saying that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government had approved the introduction of motorcycle e-hailing services.
He urged the government to review its decision and stop giving “safe answers” such as the high number of deaths for not introducing the service.
Syed Saddiq, who was the youth and sports minister then, said the PH government had agreed to introduce it on a six-month trial basis to study if it was viable for full implementation.
“This decision will have a negative impact on small companies which want to venture into this business,” he added.
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/11/15/no-go-for-motorbike-e-hailing-service-says-deputy-minister/