Anthony Loke Urged Action In Response To Grab's New E-hailing Fares Structure

Mohd Sany Hamzan, a member of parliament for Hulu Langat, expressed his disappointment with the new e-hailing fare structure implemented by e-hailing service provider, Grab, which he said further pressed down on the income of drivers. The former Amanah Youth chief (2016-2018) claimed that the overall outcome is unjustified, despite the fact that the change is intended to benefit Grab drivers by raising the fare rate per minute during peak hours to 43 sen from 20 sen previously.

“The fare reduction from 70 sen to only 25 sen per km will affect the income of Grab drivers because most Grab drivers transport their passengers based on distance rather than being in congested locales like taxi drivers,” Sany who is also the state assemblyman for Taman Templer penned in a Facebook post. “As such, I wish to appeal to the Transport Minister of the unity government Anthony Loke to intervene in this issue.”


For the record, Grab Malaysia updated its peak hour fares and incentive structure for its e-hailing service on January 17 in order to give its drivers a more equitable reward, especially for the time they spend stuck in traffic during peak hours,  In accordance with this, Grab's new peak-hour fares will, starting immediately, be primarily based on the amount of time required to complete a ride, with the distance travelled playing a minor role.

With this, the fare per minute will rise from the current 20 sen to 43 sen while the fare per kilometre in the Klang Valley will decrease from 70 sen to 25 sen. The base and minimum rates, which are set at RM2 and RM5, are unaltered in the meantime. “While the government is trying to help the people cope with the rising cost of living and insufficient wages, the fate of Grab drivers pains my heart,” lamented Sany.

“Grab’s action is actually a big obstacle to the efforts of the unity government to help people who face economic pressures at a time when the world is dealing with the current post-COVID-19 phenomenon.”

Added Sany: “This is because after losing their jobs when the country was hit by COVID-19, many turned to becoming Grab drivers as their primary income source to support their families.”