ALTHOUGH banned in 2017, homegrown two-wheel ride e-hailing service Dego Ride has immediately reactivated its services following the government’s provisional green light for Indonesia’s Go-Jek to operate here.

The app when opened today allowed users to book a ride but an order booked in Cheras remained pending and it appeared that no riders were available.

Checks on the Dego Ride app showed that there are rides available within a 3km-radius, for as low as RM3. 

Customers also have the option of choosing a male or female rider.

Dego Ride CEO Nabil Feisal Bhamadhaj told the Malay Mail that the local company will be resuming its two-wheel taxi services immediately.

“We have already reactivated our services and our riders are all in the know already… We have already started,” he was quoted as saying.

The service is available in the Klang Valley, Penang, Johor Baru, and other towns.

Dego Ride was banned in 2017 by the government due to safety concerns.

Nabil said he welcomed the news of Go-Jek’s possible entry into the Malaysian market as Dego Ride looked forward to competing with the Indonesian company.

Last week, the cabinet gave approval in principle for Go-Jek to operate once the necessary frameworks as completed.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke had said the government would ensure that no one company would have a monopoly over the market.

The ministry is to submit a report on the direction and mechanism for two-wheel taxi e-hailing services.

This follows Go-Jek founder Nadiem Makarim’s meeting with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Loke.

Nabil said Dego Ride had been engaging with the government since 2016 before its taxi service was banned.

He said he was planning to submit a proposal to Loke and Syed Saddiq’s ministries on how to formalise the two-wheel taxi service. – August 24, 2019.