Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook says Indonesian Gojek, which is invested in by Alphabet, Google and Chinese tech companies Tencent and JD.com, along with local startup Dego Ride, will be able to roll out a motorcycle taxi service in the country. from January 2020. Initially, concept tests and demand assessments for services will be conducted over a period of six months.
The pilot project will be limited to the Klang Valley, Malaysia's most developed region and home to the capital Kuala Lumpur, although the government is considering expanding this service to other areas if demand is strong enough. The six-month proof-of-concept program is designed to allow the government and participating firms to gather data and assess prospects, and develop legislation to guide how the services operate.
“Motorbike taxi services will be an important component in the creation of a comprehensive public transport system, especially for the convenience of overcoming the so-called “first and last mile” (the road from home to public transport or from public transport to work),” Mr. Loque said in parliament. “Motorcycles will be subject to the same rules as regular mobile taxi services,” the minister added, referring to existing services from companies like Grab.
Gojek is gearing up to expand into Malaysia and the Philippines. “This is our dream for next year. The services we provide in Indonesia can be rapidly expanded to other countries. We leave this choice to the governments of these countries, ”said her representative. In March, Philippine regulators denied a license to Gojek because its services did not meet local ownership criteria.
Grab, which has acquired Uber's business in Southeast Asia and is backed by Japan's SoftBank Group, has struggled to adjust to new rules that require all motorcycle taxi drivers to apply for specific licenses, permits and insurance, as well as inspect their vehicles. funds and undergo a medical examination. Grab Malaysia said in October that only 52% of its driver partners were licensed under the rules that came into effect that month.
Source: 3dnews.ru