Increasingly imperative to allow motorcycle e-hailing service

WITH traffic congestion getting increasingly worse by the day, drivers and passengers will be wasting prolonged hours in their vehicles and arriving late to their destinations, affecting employee morale and productivity. If this were to continue unabated, the health and career of frequent latecomers will be ruined.

Unfortunately, the powers that be are sitting pretty, preferring to err on the side of caution. Last November, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Henry Sum Agong gave a reply in Parliament that motorbike e-hailing service will not be allowed due to the 64% of road fatalities involving motorcyclists.

Then, it was expedient to cite grim statistics. But now, the Transport Ministry (MOT) cannot disregard the worsening traffic jams that affect the lives and health of millions of road users. As such, MOT ought to introduce new measures to make motorcycling safer in our country.

Motorcyclists carrying pillion riders tend to be more careful than those riding solo, whether they are transporting a family member, relative or friend.

Unlike food or parcel delivery riders, those carrying customers will be at their best behaviour as they do not wish to get any complaint.

But the authorities have nothing to gain for allowing motorcycle e-hailing service, unlike big projects that involve millions, if not billions, of ringgit.

Moreover, it requires tireless efforts to work out many effective measures so that motorcycle e-hailing service could be offered safely.

To ensure the highest standards are set for motorcycle e-hailing service in Malaysia, the Government could adopt the best practices found in neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, consider introducing the measures listed below and add more where necessary.

• Motorcycles for e-hailing service are to be inspected initially and annually by e-hailing firms managing the apps to ensure that motorbikes are safe for pillion riders, seat is comfortable, number plates comply with regulation, horn and lamps in working order, factory-fitted exhaust pipe with silencer, etc.
• E-hailing firms should keep record of inspections and photos of motorcycles inspected.
• E-hailing firms should conduct and keep a record of face-to-face interviews as well as onboarding. They should also demonstrate how crash helmets used by pillion riders can remain hygienic.
• Minimum age for e-hailing motorcyclists is 21, with at least B2 licence (up to 250cc).
• E-hailing motorcyclists must be free of criminal records and have no unpaid summonses including notifications of traffic offence.
• A special category of public service vehicle (PSV) licence be introduced for motorcycle e-hailing service to be renewed annually after passing a medical test including for drugs.
• Personal accident insurance (PAI) cover for one unnamed passenger to insure a pillion rider for RM100,000 for death or permanent total disablement, and up to RM10,000 for medical expenses. (This PAI cover is superior to “Legal Liability to Passengers” for taxis and buses that require injured passengers to sue the driver at fault and usually takes many years for compensation to be awarded by a court. PAI pays out speedily without having to establish who was at fault).
• Motorcyclist’s helmet be fitted with a weatherproof dashboard video camera (dashcam) to indicate whether the motorcycle had been ridden carefully and also to record traffic violations committed by other motorcyclists and motorists.
• Records of traffic offences could be submitted to the traffic police for notifications of traffic offence to be issued and sent by post. E-hailing motorcyclists are to be paid at a reasonable rate for records of evidence submitted.
• With e-hailing motorcyclists assisting in surveillance, they will deter other motorcyclists and motorists from committing driving offences such as disobeying traffic lights and hogging yellow boxes at busy intersections.
• E-hailing motorcyclists are not allowed to accept new bookings until they have dropped off pillion riders. It is common to see delivery riders looking or using their phones while riding as they are often busy checking and accepting new bookings.

Allowing e-hailing service with all safety measures in place would greatly improve road safety, and video cameras of e-hailing motorcyclists could also deter snatch thefts, making our streets safer. This invaluable service helps the public to arrive on time and provides jobs for many.

Since 2019, new vehicle registrations, excluding motorcycles, averaged 601,671 annually. This meant that every day for the past 12 years, an average of 1,648 new vehicles comprising cars, SUVs, MPVs, pickups, vans, buses, lorries and trailers were added to our roads.

While Thailand and Indonesia are racing ahead on many fronts, including motorcycle e-hailing, we are still saddled with the old mindset of banning things that are difficult but possible to control. And as long as the authorities are dragging their feet, the rakyat continues to suffer. – June 13, 2022

YS Chan is Asean Tourism Master Trainer for travel agencies, master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel & Tours Enhancement Course. He is also a tourism and transport industry consultant and writer.