JAKARTA: Motorcycle-hailing company Gojek predicted that its entry into Malaysia next year will not be an easy ride.
The company's head of transport Raditya Wibowo said Malaysians were not used to the culture of being passengers ferried on motorcycles.
Raditya added that Gojek was making preparations to enter the new market after getting approval from the government to provide its on-demand service platform by January.
“Riding a Gojek for the first time can be a scary experience, so we need a solution that can be received well by the customers and riders in Malaysia.”
Raditya said that unlike in Vietnam and Thailand, where Gojek has expanded its operations in Southeast Asia, Malaysians did not traditionally use ojek, a term which refers to motorcycles used as taxis in Indonesia.
Loke said the ride-hailing firm, on a limited scale, would be able to run their operations or proof-of-concept for six months in Kuala Lumpur to prepare and test their service.
He told Dewan Rakyat recently that the Cabinet had agreed on Nov 1, that the intermediary companies would be providing the public service vehicle and
motorcycle (bike-hailing) services .
The services would be regulated by licensing rules or regulations under the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333), Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board Act (Act 334) and Land Public Transport Act 2010 (Act 715).