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Motorcycle e-hailing service

  • The Ministry of Transport expects to establish a legal framework and the terms for motorcycle e-hailing by the end of the year.

  • The Cabinet had agreed in principle to go ahead with the service.

  • There is no specific date on when the services will begin again.

The Ministry of Transport expects to establish a legal framework and the terms for motorcycle e-hailing by the end of the year.

“The ministry will update the legal framework and terms of service once the review process has been finalised and approved by the Cabinet,” the ministry said in a written response posted on Parliament’s website today.

The Cabinet had agreed in principal to green light the service in August this year. The decision was made after Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq met with Go-Jek’s founder who had travelled from Indonesia.

It was an about turn for the Ministry of Transport and Cabinet who had carried on with the decision to ban motorcycle-hailing by the previous Barisan Nasional government.

That decision hit Dego Ride, the service which was started by a Malaysian company. The Ministry of Transport under the new government even issued a stern warning to Dego Ride to stop immediately.

However, Dego Ride proceeded to restart the service in August when the Cabinet agreed to go ahead with motorcycle e-hailing, but was told to cease their services again as the government had not set up a legal framework.

  • More than 400 Gojek riders and Indonesians protested outside the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta yesterday.

  • The demonstrations were held to protests against the disparaging remarks made by Big Blue Taxi founder Dato’ Shamsubahrin Ismail in a video.

  • They demanded that Shamsubahrin travel to Indonesia to apologize publicly.

More than 400 Gojek riders protested outside the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta yesterday.

The demonstrations were held to protests against the disparaging remarks made by Big Blue Taxi founder Dato’ Shamsubahrin Ismail in a video. Shamsubahrin said that the e-hailing service is meant for “poor” people like those in Jakarta, Indonesia, besides Thailand and Cambodia.

“This (Indonesia) is a poor country. We (Malaysia) are a rich country. If Indonesia’s youths are any good, they would not leave their country to look for a job,” he said in the video.

The video was circulated all the way to Indonesia where it infuriated Gojek riders. Gojek spokeswoman Theresia Ismiyanti demanded that Shamsubahrin travel to Indonesia to apologize publicly.

Shamsubahrin held a press conference on 30th August to apologize but blamed a “media report” on poverty in Indonesia, instead. He also sent a letter to the Malaysian embassy in Indonesia. It was since handed to the Garda association of motorcycle workers by the Malaysian Police Attaché.

However, the riders and Indonesians were unsatisfied with the apology and continued their demand for Shamsubahrin to visit the country. They even raised funds for him to travel there.

Shamsubahrin spouted the claims when he protested against the government’s desire to allow Gojek to operate here. To his credit, he suggested that Malaysian-based Dego Ride should be given priority over Gojek.

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