KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will allow motorcycle e-hailing to start limited operations from January, a minister said on Tuesday, the Reuters reported.
The motorcycle hailing such as Gojek started in Indonesia many years ago.
Gojek told Reuters it has yet to decide how or when it will enter the Malaysian market, pending clarity on the regulatory framework being drafted by the country’s transport ministry.
“We will now reach out to the ministry to understand the framework and to work through the detail of how we might approach a launch (in) Malaysia,” a Gojek spokesman said.
“Ultimately, we want to support governments as they develop the digital economy in ways that are inclusive, foster innovation and drive competition.”
Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook told parliament firms such as Gojek and local start-up Dego Ride would be able to start operating based on a proof-of-concept basis, to measure demand for the service over six months.
“Bike-hailing will be an important component in providing a comprehensive public transport system, as a mode for first- and last-mile connectivity,” Loke said.
In a statement, Grab welcomes the cabinet’s decision on introducing bike-hailing to Malaysia and said: “To date, Grab has created better income opportunities for more than 10,000 motorcycle partners through our GrabFood and GrabExpress service throughout Malaysia.”
