6 Nov 2019

A hasty pilot run for bike-hailing shows how MoT disregard the lives of the people

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook announced that the cabinet has reached a decision on the 1st of November to begin a bike-hailing pilot run in Klang Valley in 2020. This decision completely disregards the safety measures of the public and is akin to putting the lives of people at risk by treating them like lab rats.

Malaysia in its current state does not have an urgent need for bike-hailing services. In fact, Malaysia would benefit more in upgrading its public transport framework by improving the infrastructure of both buses and rail transports. Furthermore, The Transport Ministry already has its hands full from managing the motorcars e-hailing system; hence, isn’t this move simply asking for more trouble?

According to statistics, Malaysia has one of the highest road-accident counts in Southeast Asia, wherein over 60% of fatalities involve motorcyclists. Thus, with the introduction of bike-hailing, it is anticipated that this figure may increase as well.

Other concerns are also present when it comes to bike-hailing. Are insurance companies willing to insure bike-hailing motorcyclists and its passengers? Which law enforcement agency will be responsible for enforcing laws on bike-hailing services?

Also, the most important question being: How will the Transport Ministry ensure that, over the 6-month pilot run period, the safety of all road users’ safety will be safeguarded? Every human life is precious. A responsible government should not approve of such pilot runs, if at first hand, it has no ways of safeguarding the interest of the people.

As it is now, the whole plan appears to be in a premature state probably from the mishmash of requests from various parties. Thus, public safety was naturally not prioritised in the formulation of this plan.

With less than two months until the pilot run, it is extremely dubious that the Transport Ministry will manage to find enough time for preparatory works concerning this plan, or maybe they just don’t have any in mind.

Heng Zhi Li

Tanjung Piai MCA Youth chief

-MCA Online-