The E-Hailing Scene in Malaysia

I used to be a loyal fan of GRAB. Then I switched to Uber. Because......(read on)
Uber has been part of my life for the last 6 months when I depended on it 100% and made a switch from Grab to 100% Uber. Since Oct 2017 I had RM600 uber credits (won from a Uber Lagu Contest) which I slowly, was using happily right till the first week of April 2018 where I was told I had to finish it all up. The balance will be forfeited. Then reality hit me hard! Uber is really gone.......sob.......sob..... 
How was I affected? Now I had to fork out my REAL money and no more credits. Why did I switch previously? There hasn't been any promo codes since Jan 2018 from Grab and I am already feeling the pinch. With my Uber credits slowly depleting and Uber that came to an end by first week of April 2018, I REALLY REALLY REALLY felt the pinch. OUCH! For forking out actual money for my rides. BoooHoooo...No more free rides (using Uber credits)

Well, here's what I miss and don't miss about Uber.
1) Uber rates are known to fluctuate. Sometimes the final price is super ridiculous!!! I hated that!
2) For short trips, I am grateful for Uber as the fare is reasonably priced. On an average about RM3- RM3.50 I pay for Uber vs Grab that starts from RM5 which is a lot for a super short trip from the LRT to my office that is just a highway away.

Before Uber closes its doors, I took many many Uber rides and started interviewing the drivers and what are their plans.I have had mixed feedback. Some said that they could no longer drive with GRAB as they have previously been blacklisted. Hence, with Uber gone, I felt sorry for them, especially those dependant to cari makan with these e-hailing services as drivers. Some are full time drivers who are retirees and some decided they did not want a full time job and wanted flexibly, hence, driving for E-Hailing services really helps a lot of these drivers to generate an income and some to helps end meet. Those who hold a regular job also join in the e-haling game not because the love to, but because they have to find ways to make more income with the rising cost of living to feed their families. On an average now one can hold 2 jobs to make ends meet.

E-Hailing/Ride Sharing is great! 
It's a win-win situation. Drivers get to make some extra buck to supplement their income and riders get the convenience of not driving (due to many reasons)

Filling in the Uber Gap.
With Uber gone for almost a month now, new e-haling apps were seen mushrooming in the recent months. Who doesn't know Grab. To me, Grab is my first priority and on top of my mind  when it comes to e-haling services. It is my first option now, based on reliability and waiting time (with Uber gone). Prices starts from RM5.

Grab



















And just for your info, guys and girls, there are a few new E-Hailing Apps around town now.
Here are some of my thoughts about the other new E-Hailing Apps in Malaysia.
I was first introduced to MyCar when riding Uber the final week. The driver shared a leaflet with me. I was soooo happy that there was another player in the market. At first I was worried the market may be monopolized by Grab then you know lah what will happen if just one player controls the market. Prices will be determined by THEM! I certainly do not want that and I would support new players whenever I can. Tapi, the sad case is that the pricing point for this new player also starts from RM5. Kalau ini macam ah....I would go for GRAB right rationally? (More reliable). Hah....ini dah nampak angel and devil fighting inside my head already. Netherless I welcome MyCar and have since used its services 3 times. Only first time ada promo code discount RM2. Thereafter, no referral promo, no other promo codes.

I would say there's still room for improvement. The system layout is certainly not the same as Grab or Uber and slightly not so user friendly. It took a while for me to figure it out. But I am giving it some time for me to adapt to the new booking system.  This would be my next best option (not including Grab)

MyCar






















The interface for Gabir was like abang-adik MyCar when I first downloaded it a month ago. Now they have released GABIR MALAYSIA and I had to redownload the app again. Interface chaged slightly but I have not tried this app nor used their services. It takes some convincing before I try them. I would still prefer MyCar.

Gabir Malaysia























Mula- Ini pun CP belum pernah cuba. Dalam handphone CP dah ada kesemua E-Hailing apps ni untuk standby dan backup. Tapi so far I have only used MyCar besides Grab. So no comments so far.

Mula



A friend told me he will be driving for this. Hence out of curiosity, I also downloaded this app. Again I belum try this out. Initially I was getting worried no E-haling except Grab. Look at the market now! Dah banyak sekali! I believe these E-hailing firms kena secure and build up their driver base dulu and embark on some marketing to get them known to the market. so far I think MyCar is doing it right, with some press conference and publicity via ex Uber drivers they are now slowly taking flight. As for the rest, I have yet to see any form of marketing from them except me stalking their facebook page for more info.

Quulo





















This has been around even Uber times, but I have not used them. With a mission to empower women and making safe and comfortable transport accessible to all women, riding pink helps women with an alternative source of income and total flexibility to manage their schedule. This obviously are Women Drivers for Women Passengers Only.












One more rumoured to kick off by end of this year. Let's wait and see is Lyft. A random check on their International website, they are already quite well known in some other countries.

Lyft (But not in Malaysia yet) - rumoured to be introduced by end of this year.



















International Site
https://www.lyft.com/

I am happy to see the E-Hailing Services in Malaysia is now with a healthy competition and with so many more choices for both drivers and passengers to choose from now. Here's to more WIN-WIN Situation for those in need of money (drivers) and convenience to (passengers) all the way.

LONG LIVE E-HAILING!





Comments

  1. I heard that the e-hailing news is fake... political issue.

    ReplyDelete

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