‘Explain fare hikes to the people’

KUALA LUMPUR: E-hailing service providers should investigate the claims of price hikes and provide explanations to the consumers, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

He said the ministry had informed the companies to give their justifications within these two days.“I have told the management in the ministry to look into this matter by calling the companies to provide explanations and expecting them (the service providers) to furnish us with their explanations in two days.

“Concurrently, the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) will also probe into the same issue,” he told reporters yesterday after visiting the Ampang Park LRT station.

After that, Dr Wee added that the ministry will decide whether any action should be taken against providers who deliberately increase their fees amid the public’s financial struggles.

“We will discuss with the service providers to see if there are price hikes, and the factors behind it.

“The ministry will also look to see if any action can be taken to control the price,” he said, adding that introducing more competitors was one of the possibilities.

There had been many complaints of late, as seen on social media, voiced by those who were unhappy with e-hailing service providers for their high fees even for a short trip.

Dr Wee said the complaints made by the public were relevant, adding that the authorities would take the matter seriously.

Meanwhile, Apad said that services will be monitored before any changes, including the proposed fare regulatory mechanism, are carried out.

It said factors such as the environment of drivers, passengers, service providers and others must be taken into account to ensure a balance between supply and demand.

According to the agency, the concept of e-hailing services involves a mutual agreement between users and service providers for travel bookings through an application that displays the fare amount, and users have the option to continue with the booking or not.

“To date, there are more than 10 major e-hailing service providers,” said the agency in a statement to Bernama following consumer complaints regarding the current e-hailing price hike and driver shortage, especially during peak hours.

The service fare was reported to have increased by up to 400% during peak hours, triggering dissatisfaction among consumers and some other groups. They also called for government intervention, among others, in relation to price regulation.