The Malaysian Insight

WITH the government’s approval in principle for motorcycle taxi services, Dego Ride founder Nabil Feisal Bamadhaj sees a bright future for at least 5,000 motorcyclists, who can earn RM3,000 per month.

The e-hailing app, which focuses on deliveries and logistics, previously offered two-wheel rides before the service was banned in 2017.

Nabil told The Malaysian Insight that the move saw many riders losing the chance to earn better pay, and the company was left with only 200 motorcyclists from its initial 5,000.

“After the ban, 200 riders were left and our business was affected. If (motorcycle taxi services are) allowed, many more can have another chance to make extra money.

“Many customers were from Kuala Lumpur and Bukit Bintang. They usually asked for rides from monorail to light rail transit stations, from hotels to the office.

“A rider could get about 40 customers daily, and worked about four hours a day.”

Dego Ride’s motorcycle taxi service might be back in business following the cabinet’s announcement that it will allow Indonesian logistics start-up Go-Jek, which also utilises motorcyclists, into Malaysia.

The proposal for Go-Jek’s expansion was made by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who said the service could help local youth gain employment.

He was then criticised for not promoting Dego Ride, a Malaysian company that is already operating and which had its two-wheel taxi service banned by the previous Barisan Nasional government due to safety concerns.

Nabil said if Putrajaya gives the nod for Dego Ride to resume its motorcycle taxi service, he will ensure registered riders have Social Security Organisation (Socso) coverage.

He also has plans to create a thumbprint application to safeguard riders’ identities.

“We will give them Socso as protection in case of an accident. All our riders have been thoroughly screened. We will provide training and we won’t allow modified bikes to operate under Dego Ride.

“We will also include an identification application, whereby a rider picking up a passenger will need to confirm his identity with a thumbprint scan.”

Services by Dego Ride can be ordered through a smartphone app, starting at RM2.50 for the first 3km and 60 sen for each following kilometre. Riders can only accept passengers of the same sex.

Unlike Grab, Dego Ride does not take a commission cut from each ride. Instead, it imposes a monthly fee on riders.

As part of “training”, said Nabil, new riders are only allowed to operate in less-busy areas.

“For juniors, they can operate at universities or colleges or housing areas on short rides.”

He said he hopes Putrajaya will approve his plans to improve Dego Ride’s services and safety aspects, and allow it to resume its motorcycle taxi service.

“The government should give as much priority to locals as they do outsiders. Go-Jek and Grab have received full support from the government. So why not us locals?” – August 27, 2019.