PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet has agreed to allow unlicensed e-hailing drivers to operate for another three months from today.
This would allow more time for drivers to apply for passenger service vehicle (PSV) licences. The deadline was supposed to be today.
The decision was made at today's weekly Cabinet meeting.
The Transport Ministry said this decision was a "soft landing" approach towards regulating the e-hailing industry.
Enforcement will still be ongoing in the three months, but unlicensed e-hailing drivers would be let off with a warning and final reminder.
Effective July 12 last year, the Transport Ministry began regulating e-hailing services in the country.
E-hailing drivers were given a year's grace period to apply for a PSV licence, which is also a requirement for taxi drivers.
In a related development, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) in Sabah said it would punish e-hailing drivers if they fail to abide by a new ruling that bans them from waiting for ride bookings at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
The ruling, which came into effect today, requires e-hailing drivers to wait at a reserved staging area in Terminal 2 if they want to receive bookings from passengers coming from KKIA, located some 6km away.
Sabah JPJ director Sadim Abdul said those who failed to comply with this new rule could be served with a summons ranging from RM150 to RM300.
He added that only three e-hailing operators were recognised by the Sabah Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board, namely Grab, MyCar and Borride.
