KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — Companies offering e-hailing services must get their act together and ensure they are licensed to operate by July 12 this year.

Putting his foot down, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook stressed today that the government has given sufficient time for registration and will not extend the deadline anymore.

"They have been informed about the regulations since July last year.

"So, I will not give any extensions and by July 12, the enforcement and regulations will kick in,” he told a news conference here.

Loke also strongly urged e-hailing drivers to sort out their documents as soon as possible and not leave it to the last-minute.

This comes from the constant dissatisfaction shown by taxi drivers against their e-hailing counterparts, complaining of an uneven playing field stemming from the laxer requirements imposed on ride-hailing counterparts.

Last month, Gabungan Teksi SeMalaysia, a group claiming to be the rightful representatives of the taxi driver community held a gathering at Padang Merbok demanding for equal treatment.

The group demanded the government make it compulsory for e-hailing drivers to obtain commercial vehicle ownership grants and insurances, for cars to include permanent labels and also be subjected to annual Puspakom inspections.

Other requests included calling on the government to take over, regulate, and standardise their fares, commission rates, and operational areas, on top of stricter enforcement by relevant authorities.