This was confirmed by Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Wee Ka Siong
SoyaCincau reported that during a dialogue session with representatives of eHailing and pHailing associations today, Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Wee Ka Siong shared that all food and parcel delivery riders will need to obtain a Goods Driving Licence (GDL) soon in order to better regulate pHailing services in Malaysia.
Dr. Wee stated that this GDL requirement is expected to be enforced after three key legislations, which were tabled for debate and approval during the next Parliament meeting, are amended. SoyaCincau’s full article is attached here.
The legislations to ease the process of obtaining a GDL in question are Act 333 of the Road Transport Act 1987, Act 334 of the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board Act 1987 and Act 715 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010.
Dr. Wee also explained that these amendments were to make supervision and setting of regulations easier while taking the interest of various parties into account. He added that the requirement to obtain the GDL is not meant to burden delivery riders but rather the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to keep track of their numbers.
Moreover, a quick visit to the Road Transport department (JPJ) website linked here, a GDL will cost RM20 annually, the same rate as a Public Service vehicle (PSV) licence for eHailing drivers. Individuals driving a commercial registered vehicle transporting goods such as lorries and vans usually require a GDL as well.
On top of that, Dr. Wee said that while the current minimum age a GDL holder can be is 21 years, the scheduled amendments will lower this to 18 years to be more inclusive of the younger pHailing riders.
He also stated that his hope for the GDL requirements would be to better protect the welfare of eHailing and pHailing riders and drivers by helping the MOT and relevant agencies to monitor pHailing services to ensure the sector remains competitive. The terms of this GDL will also include insurance protection requirements for riders.
Since one of the main problems eHailing providers face is barrier to entry caused by regulatory requirements which leads to there not being enough riders to meet demand, some may see the new GDL requirement as just another barrier to entry. I, however, see this as a great way to tackle riders who break laws and keep them in check.
Grab also pointed out that regulations introduced in 2019 led to slower response times. The various requirements like training, exams and tedious government agencies processing documents led to slower response times due to having less drivers and some fear this problem may repeat itself with the GDL requirements.
Riders who break the road rules and continue to do so need to be tracked to ensure not just their own safety, but that of everyone on the road. I believe the GDL requirement is a great move to tackle this issue, do you agree?
All credit to SoyaCincau for the use of these images.
