Deputy Transport Minister: Regulations for 'p-hailing' industry to be finalised by end of the year

KUALA LUMPUR: The Transport Ministry is drafting new regulations to manage the growing "p-hailing" (motorcycle parcel delivery) industry, says Hasbi Habibollah (pic).

"The ministry is currently preparing conditions and regulations for the license registration of the parcel delivery services using motorcycles.

"We will be calling the service as parcel hailing or 'p-hailing' to differ it from e-hailing services," the Deputy Transport Minister said when answering a question raised by Sim Tze Tzin (PH-Bayan Baru) in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Aug 18).

He said new regulations to manage the industry were necessary as the current e-hailing license does not cover parcel delivery services.

"At present, e-hailing licenses only allow for the ferrying of passengers and does not allow parcel deliveries," he said.

Hasbi stressed that proposed the new regulations were not aimed at increasing government revenue or adding layers of bureaucracy for the industry.

He said the new rules would ensure the safety of road users while providing a conducive environment for the industry to develop.

Among the regulations, he said, were for p-hailing riders to obtain a public service vehicle license (PSV), undergo health screening and to have insurance coverage.

"The ministry is in the process of drafting new regulations which are expected to be finalised by the end of this year.

"The date for the enforcement of the regulations will be announced after the new regulations for p-hailing are finalised," he added.

Earlier, Hasbi informed lawmakers that some 200,000 individuals had registered as e-hailing drivers with 45 companies since 2018.

However, he said there are currently about 150,000 active e-hailing drivers, with a majority of them working part-time.

Regulations to manage e-hailing services were introduced in July last year.

Among them include drivers having to undergo a JPJ driver's test, Puspakom car inspection, a six-hour-long driver training session, medical check-up and background check to obtain a PSV.