Pressing need for ride-hailing and p-hailing workers to be trained so that they are safer on the road – Loke

As more gig workers emerge on the ride-hailing and p-hailing scene to cater for the growing demand for such services, it has become imperative that steps be taken to ensure that they are safer on the road, said transport minister Anthony Loke.

“There are now more ride-hailing and p-hailing riders on the road than ever before, and if they aren’t given proper safety training, they could endanger both themselves and other drivers. Factor in the increase in traffic levels to that of pre-pandemic times, and it has become necessary to take every step possible to prevent accidents,” he said.

Loke said that the newly-drafted road safety guidelines for platform providers that is being drawn up by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) will be an important step in ensuring road safety for all, as The Star reports.

“The guidelines are aimed at increasing the service quality of p-hailing and ride-hailing service providers, while educating the riders about staying safe on the road. Once the guidelines are finalised, it is hoped that they will help in reducing the number of road accident-related fatalities and injuries nationwide,” he said.

He welcomed stakeholders to provide their input on the guidelines, which are aligned with the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety Plan that aims to reduce the global road accident death rate to below 50% by 2030.

Loke said he would continue to prioritise ensuring safety measures, stating that he believed that safety should always comes first, even if it made him unpopular to the public.