In exciting news for the Malaysian ride-hailing scene, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced today that motorbike-sharing pilot programs involving Indonesian industry juggernaut Gojek and local start-up Dego will commence for the first time ever in January 2020.
For six months, both companies will be able to operate under a Proof of Concept (POC) pilot project to test the waters while legislation is passed to regulate bike-hailing business models.
“Among the conditions of the POC is that it will be confined to the Klang Valley,” Loke told Parliamentarians during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
“Other conditions are that the riders must be not less than 18 years old, and they can only ferry one passenger at a time, who are not less than 18 years old.”
During this time, riders and their bikes must be clearly identifiable, with both riders and passengers insured, and motorbikes used cannot be more than five years old.
Both the government and the bike-hailing firms will use the POC time period to “gather data, and assess the availability and demand levels” of the service.
With regards to rider and passenger safety, both the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and police will be working in tandem to enforce traffic laws.
Last week, the government announced that it would allow bike-hailing services, arguing that they would provide the so-called “last mile” of connectivity in which mass public transportation systems often fall short.
Or you know, we could have just built a decent transportation system that gets you were you actually need to go. Just a thought!
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