PETALING JAYA: The Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) holds the authority to revoke the licences of e-hailing companies that violate regulatory conditions, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced during a press conference at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, in Subang, today.
“Of course, that goes without saying. If (e-hailing companies) violated any conditions (for their licences), we can revoke their permits,“ Loke was quoted as saying by Scoop.
In May, Loke directed Apad, an agency under the Transport Ministry, to investigate the price bidding system employed by certain e-hailing service providers.
This system, which the ministry has never approved, allows customers to bid on fares initially set by drivers, potentially leading to higher costs for passengers. The investigation by Apad is currently ongoing.
Concerns have been raised about the bidding system, which appears to compel passengers to pay inflated prices for rides.
Last month, an incident involving an e-hailing driver highlighted safety concerns within the industry.
An e-hailing driver was arrested and charged for assaulting and dragging a female passenger out of his car.
The driver was charged under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt and was fined RM2,000 by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on June 19, according to Brickfields police chief Ku Mashariman Ku Mahmood.
The victim, identified only as Maya, reported on social media and to the police that the driver had assaulted her with a metal bottle and forcibly removed her from the car on a highway after she requested a non-toll route.
The driver, in response to a complaint lodged through the inDrive app, stopped the car abruptly, forced Maya out, and threw a metal flask at her.
InDrive acknowledged the incident and expressed its intent to improve safety measures.
The company emphasised that its drivers are independent contractors and not directly employed by the platform.
