Anthony Loke: e-Hailing & p-Hailing Riders Needs Training To Be Safer On The Road

It is no secret ever since the pandemic, Malaysia’s gig employment dependency has surged with the numbers just slightly declining even after the nation has eased all its closures. This goes to prove that this line of employment is here to stay especially amongst the younger generations as it offers a more lucrative source income as compared to most young graduate entry level offerings. Having said that, it has become vital to train gig workers to be safer on the road, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke, reported The Star.

Loke further added that, “There are now more e-hailing and p-hailing riders on the road than ever before and if they aren’t given proper safety training, they could endanger both themselves and other drivers. Factor in the increase in traffic levels to that of pre-pandemic times, it has become necessary to take every step possible to prevent accidents”.

He made this announcement during the Road Traffic Safety Management System Empowerment Programme which was held at the Ministry Of Transport (MOT) yesterday.

Furthermore, there would be a freshly drafted road safety guidelines specifically for gig platform providers which is being drawn up by Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) which is intended to better ensure all parties road safety.

According to Loke, “These guidelines are aimed at increasing the service quality of p-hailing and e-hailing service providers while educating the riders about staying safe on the road. Once these guidelines are finalised, he is hopeful that they will help in reducing the number of road accident-related fatalities and injuries nationwide”.

All stakeholders are also welcomed to provide their input on these guidelines which would be aligned with the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety Plan, which aims to reduce the global road accident death rate to below 50% by 2030.

As we are aware, Loke spearheaded the implementation of the electronic vehicle permit (e-VP) and the public service vehicle (PSV) permit requirement which came into effect back in 2019 when he was in office. 

(Image Credit: BERNAMA)