Fast and safe: Voon getting down from a ride at Tropicana Mall, Petaling Jaya.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysians who have come to rely on e-hailing services welcomed the move to legalise them and the added protection passengers will get.
Despite knowing services such as Grab and Uber were unregulated, most passengers interviewed said they opted for them because of reasonable fares and good service.
“I feel more at ease now and will definitely use them more often,” said student Tasnim Syakirah, 19.
Amendments to the Land Public Transport Act 2010 and the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB) Act 1987 required e-hailing providers to have licences and health screening for their drivers.
Frequent GrabCar passenger Voon Sze Ming, 23, also said she felt more secure knowing she could take legal action against the service provider if anything happened.
Tew Lyong Yee, a 23-year-old sales executive said safety was his priority and he could now use such services with less worries.
Housewife Cecilia Ng, 45, said she never tried e-hailing services because they were not regulated.
“I will use them now since they are cheaper,” she said.
Ji Lin, 23, a management trainee suggested video recorders be installed to monitor the behaviour of both the passengers and drivers.
“The contact details of the passenger should be automatically removed once they get out of the car to prevent some drivers from harassing passengers,” she added.
Alex Chong, 22, proposed a “drop-off” button in the e-hailing applications so both passenger and driver can confirm their status.
“For me, the most important thing is the accident insurance, so I hope they will invest in accident insurance for passengers,” said university lecturer Dr Teo Eng Wah.
In a statement, SPAD said the changes in the law will ensure e-hailing operators and drivers adopt the highest levels of safety and service standards. “This includes mandatory background checks by SPAD, the police and the Road Transport Department,” it said.
