You’ve probably already heard that e-hailing drivers will have to have a Personal Service Vehicle (PSV) license to operate after 12 July. Because of this, the service is expected to lose up to 50% of its drivers, especially the part-timers. The result of this will be increase in both fares and wait times.
In an interview with The Star, Daryl Chong, president of Malaysian E-hailing Drivers Association (MeHDA) said this is due to the algorithm used by e-hailing companies. The lack of drivers will likely make the surcharge prices kick in. Passengers will also have to wait longer due to the distance between them and drivers who stick around.
The Transport Ministry of Malaysia states that only 16338 of about 167000 of e-hailing drivers have signed up for the PSV test. And of them, only 10151 qualified for the test ahead of the 12 July deadline. That said, Chong is confident that the situation will improve, saying “We expect 70% of the total e-hailing drivers to be PSV-ready by the end of the year.”
Grab is subsidising some of the costs of the process of getting the license to that effect. It is also now possible to take PSV classes online. But with less than 10% of drivers taking the PSV license test, and even fewer passing, it remains to be seen if things will turn out as Chong sees it.
(Source: The Star)
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