According to The Star Online, SPAD chief executive officer Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah said yesterday that initial meetings with Malaysian Uber officials had already been held to highlight the “gravity of the situation”.
“For a start, Uber has to expeditiously put in an SOS button which will be linked to law enforcement,” Azharuddin said of the feature that was already installed in Uber India.
“We have also written to Grab and it too will be required to put this feature into its app,” he added.
Apart from the installation of the SOS button in their apps, all e-hailing operators have been instructed to submit data of their drivers so SPAD can conduct its own screening, over and above what e-hailing operators do themselves.
These measures come ahead of the government’s move to regulate e-hailing operators by amending the Land Public Transport Act 2010 in Parliament next month.
Other measures will include the power to impound cars used for questionable activities, and to bar an offender from driving for any e-hailing company, The Star Online reported.
Drivers new to the e-hailing experience will also have to consent to psychometric testing to determine their “personal operating styles” as a means of assessing their suitability for the job.
E-hailing companies will also be slapped with financial penalties should performance levels slip or serious lapses in service standards, especially in regard to safety, be detected.