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Motorbike-hailing firm Gojek, others to start test runs in Malaysia
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November 5, 2019 News

Editorial Note: Ride-hailing giant Grab is already facing challenges due to new regulations set. While Gojek has been successful in Indonesia, we are not sure if motorbike-hailing will be as successful in Malaysia. Either way, as long the safety requirements and regulations are met, it may just be a better option for consumers, especially for last mile connectivity.

Malaysia will allow motorcycle-hailing firms such as Indonesia’s Gojek and local start-up Dego Ride to start operations on a limited scale from January 2020.

Gojek – whose backers include Alphabet’s Google and Chinese tech companies Tencent and JD.com – and Dego Ride will start operating based on a proof-of-concept basis to measure demand for the service over six months, Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said.

“Bike hailing will be an important component in providing a comprehensive public transport system, as a mode for first- and last-mile connectivity,” Loke told parliament.

The pilot project would be limited to the Klang Valley, Malaysia’s most developed region and where the capital Kuala Lumpur is located, although the government would consider expanding it to other areas if there was demand.

The six-month, proof-of-concept pilot programme would allow the government and participating firms to gather data and evaluate demand, while the government worked on drafting legislation to govern bike-hailing.

 “Bike-hailing will be subject to similar regulations as laid out for e-hailing,” the minister said, referring to existing ride-hailing operations by companies such as Grab.

Gojek did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but its co-chief executive, Andre Soelistyo, told reporters on Saturday that the company was preparing expansion into Malaysia and the Philippines.

“It is our dream for the next year. The services that we have in Indonesia can be opened in other countries quickly. We leave (it) to the leader of the countries to choose,” Soelistyo said.

In March, Philippines regulators upheld a decision to refuse Gojek a licence due to its failure to meet local ownership criteria, but Soelistyo said they would build the business on their payment system already set up in the country.

Gojek’s impending entry into Malaysia will likely pose the biggest challenge to Grab, which took the lion’s share of the nation’s e-hailing market after it bought over Uber Technology Inc’s operations in Southeast Asia last year.

Article first published on https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malaysia-gojek/motorbike-hailing-firm-gojek-others-to-start-test-runs-in-malaysia-idUSKBN1XF08F

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