PETALING JAYA, June 21 — Uber Malaysia urged customers to provide feedback on their drivers as soon as they finish a ride to further improve the safety of passengers.
South-east Asia regional general manager Chan Park said although criminal incidences comprise less than 0.01 per cent of the overall Uber experience, the ride sharing company views such incidences seriously.
“Feedback from customers has proven to be most valuable data for us, as it helps identify loopholes where security and safety is concerned,” Chan said.
Uber Malaysia’s head of public policy and government relations, Shahrul Azhar Shaari said drivers with a rating of below four stars would have their accounts suspended pending an internal investigation, the duration of which varying in each case.
“While it has been suggested that a panic button be added to the app, it is not a magic pill that will prevent criminal cases.
“Discussions between the Land Public Transport Commission and police have been planned and we want to ensure the best method to ensure zero crimes,” said Shahrul.
Drawing reference to Uber India, which launched an in-app panic button two years ago, Shahrul said although it was a good initiative there were flaws in the feature.
“Many false reports have been reported in India since the introduction of the panic button. The same could happen here,” he said.
As an alternative, Shahrul suggested ride-sharing users install the Volunteer Smartphone Patrol app introduced by the police.
“The app allows direct access to the authorities and users can report incidences anywhere.”
Uber Malaysia general manager Leon Foong said the company will work closely with the police and other relevant authorities. He hoped information like criminal records would be shared with ride-sharing services.
The company’s head of marketing, Geraldine Wong said Uber will also engage the public by sharing safety tips with them.
“These include ensuring riders check the name, registration number and validity of the driver first before getting into any vehicle.”
