No ban on Uber mobile app: SPAD

JOHOR BARU: The government will not ban Uber's mobile app but it will regulate Uber to ensure Uber will not hurt the existing taxi industry, said Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar.

He told reporters after the launch of Gemilang flag and TEKS1M Owner Club Johor Baru here, today.
“Uber needs to be in our system, then we can regulate them," Syed Hamid said.
SPAD had a meeting with Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MACC) yesterday, and agreed that the mobile app should not be banned.

He said that according SPAD’s online survey, 85% of taxi passengers prefer to use Uber.

"In order to be more competitive, some existing taxi associations or clubs already started their own app to offer better services. We all should know that technology can bring us a step further.
But this does not applied to Uber. The main problem is Uber cars do not have any licences from SPAD and the related authorities," he said.

However, Syed Hamid said they will need time to sort out how to regulate Uber cars, but he declined to elaborate.

"The public should be aware that Uber is not always cheaper than traditional taxi services," he added.

Meanwhile, Syed said there are about 76,000 of various taxi services nationwide and the government has no plans to extend services for the "Meter-on" app.
He expressed his disappointment because not many Malaysians are using this app. According to Syed Hamid, there are only 20,000 "Meter-on" users.