Inconsistent safety reporting across platforms masks true risks faced by gig drivers nationwide.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s e-hailing platforms are being urged to adopt a common, trip-based safety reporting standard, after gig driver advocacy group Gabungan eHailing Malaysia noted that inconsistent data disclosure is masking the true scale of risks faced by drivers nationwide.
Its chief activist Masrizal Mahidin, also known as Jose Rizal, said platforms determine how their respective safety figures are presented, limiting meaningful comparisons across the industry.
He said a national standard should establish common definitions and indicators, covering the type and severity of incidents, rates based on completed journeys, probe periods, findings and corrective action.
“Malaysia needs a uniform E-Hailing Industry Safety Reporting Standard so that all platforms report data using the same definitions and indicators.
“At a minimum, the reports should cover the type and severity of incidents, incident rates according to the number of trips, duration and outcome of investigations as well as corrective action.”
He also said the information should distinguish complaints submitted by drivers from those lodged by passengers, while identifying who was affected by an incident.
Such details would reveal different patterns of risk and enable platforms and authorities to develop more targeted preventive measures, he added.
Masrizal said the industry should consider reporting the number of incidents for every 100,000 or one million completed journeys, which would provide a more objective basis for assessing and comparing platforms of different sizes.
“This approach would allow fair comparisons between all platforms and is more consistent with risk-management practices and the aspirations of the National Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan 2021-2025, which emphasises systematic risk measurement.”
The call follows the publication of Maxim Malaysia’s first Compliance Report: Safety and Legalisation, covering its operations from January to June. Published on July 24, the report said safety-related requests represented less than 1% of 63,393 inquiries received through its official support channels during the period.
Drivers accounted for 61.5% of all inquiries while passengers contributed 38.5%. More than 90% were resolved and over 70% were handled within 24 hours.
The overall figure also covered general support, payments, fares, refunds, trip services, driver behaviour, cancellations, receipts, technical issues and lost items.
However, the report did not provide the actual number or categories of safety cases, distinguish those involving drivers from passengers, or state the total number of journeys completed.
Maxim also highlighted its enhanced SOS function, which provides drivers and passengers faster access to emergency contacts and enables essential journey information to be shared when urgent assistance is required.
“The main risks frequently raised by the driver community include road crashes, threats and violence from passengers, robbery, sexual harassment, account misuse and fatigue caused by long working hours.
“Drivers may also lose income when their accounts are suspended while investigations are conducted. There remains room to strengthen emergency responses, transparency in the investigation process and protection for affected drivers,” said Masrizal.
He added that greater transparency should ultimately strengthen practical protections for drivers rather than merely increase the volume of data published.
“Safety reporting must progress towards more comprehensive risk-based reporting.
“For us, gig-worker safety is not merely a figure in a report, but also a commitment to protecting the lives, wellbeing and dignity of those who drive the country’s gig economy.”