P-hailing riders driven to break traffic rules due to pressure, says activist

PETALING JAYA: Traffic violations that are committed by delivery or p-hailing riders involve several factors, including pressure from the service providers, says Malaysian eHailing Alliance chief activist Jose Rizal.

He claimed that some service providers have set unreasonable delivery times which forced some riders to break traffic rules. This, in turn, could lead to road accidents.

The low wages paid to riders to complete a trip forces them to go fast, he added.

He said that some delivery platforms will even penalise their delivery partners that would affect their service ratings.

However, Jose acknowledged that one service provider has taken the initiative to reduce the burden of their delivery partners by introducing a tiered delivery time.

“By doing so, delivery riders would not feel so much pressure while the consumers would have the freedom to opt for cheaper delivery fee options but with longer time,” he said in an interview.

Jose also said that his group has urged the government to introduce a policy that would require local authorities to enforce the need for a special designated delivery area in every strata or commercial buildings.

He said a specific facility in a particular premises would help in ensuring the safety of the riders as well as the consumers.

“We have included this demand in our memorandum to the government. There must be designated parking spaces and delivery facilities for riders.

“Online orders and deliveries have become common in our daily lives,” he added.

Foodpanda Malaysia operations director Shubam Saran said that the company is currently testing telematics methods to identify unsafe behaviours of their delivery riders.

He said this method can identify phone use while riding or sudden braking and acceleration.

“This helps us spot riders at risk of violating traffic rules and provide them with necessary guidance,” he added.

To ensure riders are not pressured when doing their trips, customers will be notified if their delivery will take longer than the estimated time.

“In this way, they do not feel rushed to complete the order at the risk of compromising their own safety,” he said.

Shubam said regular collaborations with the Road Transport Department and the police have been carried out to organise safety talks for their delivery partners.

“Foodpanda Malaysia has also partnered with Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) to build a safety riding syllabus, which will be rolled out to delivery partners in future,” he said, adding that a Panda Rangers programme will also train participants in basic emergency medical assistance.

Grab Malaysia said that the company was committed to ensuring the safety of its delivery partners by offering comprehensive safety training courses.

In a statement to The Star, the platform said that its GrabBenefits programme covers three main pillars, comprising protection, savings and education.

“Under GrabInsure, Grab partners are provided with free Group Personal Accident Insurance for on-the-job incidents.

“As of 2024 in collaboration with the Social Security Organisation (Socso), Grab is subsidising its active partners to receive full subsidies for their Self-Employment Social Security Scheme (SKSPS) contribution,” it added.

Grab Malaysia also said that through GrabAcademy, its delivery partners would be provided with road safety and harassment avoidance training.