Taxi driver Cheang Yoke Yoon providing hand sanitiser to a passenger before beginning the trip from KL Sentral. — AZMAN GHANI / The Star
PETALING JAYA: As hygiene and cleanliness are now the top priorities for commuters and passengers in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, offers of professional sanitisation services for taxi and e-hailing vehicles have mushroomed.
However, while some taxi and e-hailing drivers have engaged professional companies to disinfect their cars, others prefer to do so with cleaning products that can be found at home.
An example of the former is MUDAcare, a firm which is providing sanitisation services to PICKnGO – a taxi and car hailing service.
Selected taxis will be sprayed with a solution that is designed to kill viruses, bacteria and mould.
According to the company, the solution does not only destroy micro-organisms but can last on surfaces for up to six months.
Malaysia E-hailing Drivers Association (Mehda) president Daryl Chong said a number of professional sanitisation services targeted towards drivers have emerged since the outbreak occurred.
“A lot of these sanitisation services or companies providing these side services have mushroomed in the past two or three months,” he said.
The prices are quite low, he said, adding that they can go as low as about RM10 to RM15 for a one-time disinfection.
He, however, said that some e-hailing drivers were reluctant to use such services as the costs could add up to a sizable sum if they were to disinfect their vehicles frequently.
“If you do it every day, that’s about RM70 a week.
“There was a company that offered commercial sanitisation services to our members but sad to say, the take-up rate was quite low and disappointing,” he added.
Instead, he said, some e-hailing drivers opt to use solutions such as disinfectant liquid to scrub their cars.
“The more hardworking drivers that I know would do so every day, stopping their vehicles during lunchtime and disinfect the most commonly touched spots in the car such as the handle, the seats and the air conditioner vent.
“Some, however, just use a damp cloth to clean the car.
“Most drivers do have disinfectant to clean their cars but it’s a matter of how diligent and frequent they are in doing so,” Chong said.
Association of Malaysia Taxi Drivers, Rental Cars, Premium Executive Limo (Perjiwa) chairman Zailani Isaisuludin said there must be specific guidelines for how taxis and e-hailing drivers should disinfect their vehicles.
“Many taxi drivers know they must wear masks and they have to use hand sanitiser. Some are using Dettol as a cleaning agent for the interior of their cars.
“The government must come up with a guideline on the use of these public vehicles, taking into account (how to clean) the doors, the handles, etc,” he added.
The standard operating procedure (SOP) published on the National Security Council’s website showed that taxi and e-hailing drivers are to disinfect their vehicles at the end of each operating day.
The guidelines, updated on July 30, also encouraged these vehicle drivers to disinfect after every trip as is suitable.
