KUALA LUMPUR: The Covid-19 pandemic and extended Movement Control Order (MCO) has presented new logistic challenges to Malaysians seeking to obtain essential and emergency services.
In addressing these challenges, Pioneer Malaysian peer-to-peer (P2P) car-sharing platform, Moovby, has launched #MooveSafely (www.moovby.com/moovesafely), a CSR initiative that provides transportation for essential and emergency needs at a cheaper rate while raising funds for frontliners.
A total of 10 percent of Moovby’s sales portion will be donated to #DigitalVSCovid (the sales division between Moovby and its hosts are 25:75. Moovby takes 25 percent from the rental whilst the remainder of the fee goes to the person renting out their car, also called the host, as income).
#DigitalVSCovid is a crowdfunding campaign by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) in collaboration with relief teams and local crowdfunding platforms to help supply safety equipment for the country’s COVID-19 pandemic frontline officers who are working hard to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak. The amount raised from a portion of the rental fees will be channelled by Moovby directly to Global Sadaqah, one of the crowdfunding platforms under this #DigitalVSCovid initiative.
With the newly-imposed restriction to move not more than 10km away from our homes, transportation is increasingly troublesome for those who do not own a car. Buses and trains are currently neither the safest nor most convenient option for point-to-point travel.
According to the urban mobility app Moovit, public transit usage has dropped 21.3 percent since the beginning of MCO Phase 1 and it has continued to drop to 91 percent as at the beginning of Phase 2. Regardless, people still need to travel to hospitals, clinics and supermarkets and #MooveSafely has enlisted 500 cars for rent to anyone who would otherwise require to use public transportation to restock groceries or visit a doctor.
The rise in confirmed Covid-19 cases has also resulted in hospitals being overwhelmed and under-resourced to transport patients to the facilities. While ambulances are available, they are limited, and priority should be given to medical emergencies.
Moovby says it hopes ease the burden by providing another mode of transportation for the less critical cases.
#MooveSafely would also cater to international and local tertiary students who don’t live with their families and don’t have their own transportation. The initiative aims to alleviate the problems faced by those with no transport during the MCO period.
The company addresses the demand for private vehicles through an app, which makes it quick and easy for the public to rent cars. The #MooveSafely service is available in eight areas nationwide: Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor Baru, Penang, Melaka, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
“The safety of our hosts and renters has always been Moovby’s top priority,” says Nik Muhammad Amin, founder and CEO of Moovby.
“This pandemic and now extended MCO is an unprecedented event for us all. As the pioneer P2P car-sharing company in Malaysia, we see the need to help the community. #MooveSafely provides a one-stop contact point for individuals and organisations in need of suitable vehicles to rent.
“We understand that there is still a need to go out to run essential errands such as grocery shopping or going to clinics during the MCO period, but we can’t compromise the health and safety of our users. Therefore, we are providing a safer option for them to do that.
“Opting for private vehicles will reduce the risk of contracting and spreading the infection as we can control our environment more easily while also practising social distancing. And they can enjoy it at a cheaper rate while contributing to the funds being raised to aid the frontliners,” he says.
#MooveSafely is an ongoing initiative until May 31, 2020. Hari Raya bookings can also be made in advance with more than 2,000 cars to be made available to accommodate the festive season. It has already seen an increase in bookings as people plan ahead their transportation to “balik kampung” for the holidays.
#MooveSafely encourages current hosts and those with idle cars to rent them out for people in need of private vehicles. Sanitisation and disinfection services for host vehicles are made available upon request to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection to both Moovby’s hosts and renters. Hosts will also be provided with an official letter by Moovby in the event they need to deliver the car to renters. Renters are provided with a face mask, a pair of gloves and a bottle of hand sanitiser.