E-hailing drivers deserve better financial security

AS a full-time e-hailing driver I find recent developments concerning autonomous vehicles (driverless vehicles) worrying. Pos Malaysia Bhd launched the country’s first postal autonomous vehicle (“Self-driving vans to boost postal service”, The Star, Jan 22; online at bit.ly/star_vehicle) while an e-hailing platform announced investments in remote driving technology in November.

In relation to these developments, I strongly urge the government to impose strict regulations to ensure that e-hailing platforms (and other transportation services) prioritise hiring human drivers for the sake of job security. The fact is, e-hailing services are a significant source of income for many Malaysians. A survey by one platform found that 70.9% of drivers depend on e-hailing as their primary source of income.