July 12, 2019. E-hailing drivers should take note as Transport Minister Anthony Loke has issued a stern warning to those who do not obtain a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) license by that date. And there would be no extension.

Grab and other e-hailing drivers would be required to obtain a PSV starting next month (January). Failure to meet the July deadline, the drivers are subjected to strict enforcement by the ministry.

The Transport Minister Anthony Loke said, “Don’t give us excuses that it’s hard. We’re making it very easy. If you’re earning a few thousand ringgit and you are not willing to go for a few hours for a PSV course and spend one, two hundred ringgit for that license, there is no excuse for that”, he said.

This was in response to some drivers who deemed it unnecessary to get the PSV and threatened to stage a protest by quitting a month before the enforcement date.

The Transport Ministry has intended to make it a level playing field for both e-hailing and taxi firms, by subjecting both parties to similar regulations.

Now it comes down to this. One cannot deny that these regulations will generate a safer environment for the passengers. But, many questions will inadvertently come into the picture. Who ultimately bears the cost? Is it the e-hailing firms? Is it the drivers? Will it trickle down to the passengers? We shall see as the deadline looms near.