JPJ (Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalanraya or Road Transport Department) and its minister Liow Tiong Lai must immediately cease its witch-hunt on Dego Ride, a motobike taxi service, operating similarly to Uber and Grab in Kuala Lumpur.
It was widely reported in most press yesterday that JPJ has begun to issue summons under Section 23(2) of the Road Transport Act, with a threat to further hunt down the over 6000 Dego Ride riders working to provide this service.
Section 23(2) states that “Where a licence has been granted in respect of a motor vehicle to be used for a certain purpose, and such motor vehicle is at any time during the period for which the licence is in force used for another purpose, the person so using such motor vehicle or causing or permitting the use thereof shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding two thousand ringgit”
The act of issuing summons under Section 23(2) of the Road Transport Act to Dego Ride riders is a clear practice of double standards at a time when nearly all Uber and Grab vehicles are breaking this very same law as the cars used do not have a commercial license.
However, we don’t hear of JPJ hunting down Uber and Grab drivers, and instead the government has decided to legalize Uber and Grab ride hailing services, recognizing that these services ultimately benefit the Malaysian commuter and even helps provide jobs to ordinary Malaysians.
JPJ and Minister Liow must extend the same treatment to Dego, and such a ground-breaking service, the first motorbike taxi service in jam stricken Kuala Lumpur will certainly help promote the usage of public transport. Dego Ride plays an important first mile last mile role, that can encourage Malaysians to switch from private cars to use the MRT, LRT and other forms of public transport.