KUALA LUMPUR: The e-hailing taxi service company, Grab Malaysia has officially installed an emergency button in its application which enables passengers to send alert to the Malaysia Emergency Response Service (MERS 999).
Its country head Sean Goh said during an emergency, Grab will log all the out-going calls via the emergency button to follow-up with the passengers and authorities.
Apart from emergency button, Goh said, the company also introduced two other safety initiatives; the telematics programme and eagle-I CVR in-car Dash Cam.
“Safety has always been a priority for Grab. It is the foundation of how and why Grab came to be. In fact, according to a passenger poll conducted, eight out 10 women feel safer booking a ride with Grab than other transportation.
“However, we are acutely aware that we are far from being perfect, and there is so much more room for us to improve ourselves as we continue to grow, serve and transport more people across Malaysia,” he said.
“We recognise that many Malaysians are using ride hailing services to get around, and we are pleased that Grab responded to our request to include the emergency button in their app.
“We appreciate their forward thinking by going the extra mile to include other initiatives such as in-car cameras and telematics programme, for the safety and convenience of their passengers and drivers.
Meanwhile, Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chief executive officer Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah said: “We hope the introduction to MERS 999, passengers will use the function responsibly.”
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the government encouraged e-hailing operators such Grab Malaysia to have continuous engagements with the regulators which will help to provide a safer and reliable land public transportation system in the country.
“Safety is a joint community effort to work and all parties involved must work closely to introduce a holistic set of safety measures for the public,” she said.