Ehailing price bidding system never approved by ministry, says Loke

MELAKA: The Transport Ministry has never allowed any ehailing service provider to use the price bidding system for passengers in this country, said its minister Anthony Loke.

He said the ministry was not informed about the matter, and as a precaution, the Land Public Transport Agency has been directed to investigate the system currently being used by ehailing drivers.

“The agency will look into this, and as far as I know, we haven’t approved any such system,” he said after the 78th JPJ Day Anniversary Celebration at the Malaysian Road Transport Academy in Ayer Molek here on Saturday (May 11).

JPJ director-general Datuk Rospiagos Taha and its state director Muhammad Firdaus Shariff were also present.

He said this when asked to comment on the growing popularity of ehailing applications that use a bidding system whereby ehailing drivers can set their prices for a journey before customers bid on the fare, provided that the fare rate is agreed upon.

However, this system has raised concerns among public transport service users, as it compels passengers to pay higher prices.

In another development, Loke said the investigation report by the special team looking into the allegations in the JPJandora Papers would be submitted to the Transport Ministry’s secretary-general for review and further action.

He said several weaknesses had been identified, especially concerning registering classic number plates.

“These classic numbers were previously registered without a transparent and detailed system because registrations were done manually in the 50s and 60s, without using a computer system or application like MySikap.

“Sometimes, when these numbers were registered, it was assumed that no one owned them. However, the real owner would later come forward to reclaim the number. This raises doubts about our system. To prevent ownership conflicts in the future, we need to tighten and control the registration process,” he added. – BK