Gojek gets green light to bring motorcycle service to Malaysia

Gojek has received approval from the Cabinet of Malaysia to operate its motorcycle e-hailing services locally, a few months after it was tipped to enter the country. Gojek’s spokesperson confirmed the news to A+M, saying that recent discussions with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and senior members of the government concerning Gojek’s growth and socio-economic impact in Southeast Asia “went well”.“We highly appreciated the warm welcome and the support that was expressed at the prospect of Gojek starting operations in Malaysia, which would bring more choice to customers and accelerate the growth of small businesses,” the spokesperson said.The spokesperson added that Gojek is always looking for opportunities to bring our technology to benefit more people and users in Southeast Asia. This will naturally include carefully reviewing the local opportunities, challenges, and regulations that exist. “We hope that this promising start in Malaysia will enable us to grow our international presence further,” the spokesperson said.“This week, Gojek attended a meeting with the Prime Minister of Malaysia and senior members of the government to discuss Gojek’s growth and socio-economic impact in Southeast Asia.Meanwhile, Minister of Youth and Sports Syed Saddiq said in a Twitter post that he is thankful for unanimous approval to allow Gojek and local start-up Dego Ride to offer their motorcycle ride sharing services in Malaysia.“Thanks to everyone who helped make this dream come true, especially Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Minister of Transport Anthony Loke. Let’s work even harder for the youths!” Syed Saddiq said.According to Bernama, Syed Saddiq previously said that the approving Gojek’s motorcycle ride hailing service will enable the youths, especially the “Mat Motor” (motorbike Mat) to gain employment. He added that if implemented, the motorcycle ride hailing service can also “help society obtain public transportation at a low cost without encountering traffic congestions”.Meanwhile quoting Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Yusof, multiple media outlets said the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Transport Ministry have been placed in charge of discussing, in detail, the development of Gojek’s services in Malaysia in terms of rules and laws, and where it is permitted to operate. This is to ensure that Gojek does not violate existing national laws.He added that once these areas have been studied by both ministries, they will be brought up to the Cabinet once again for approval, media outlets said. Redzuan also said that Gojek is expected to commence operations in Malaysia “within two months” after Cabinet’s approval.(Read also: Internal vs external: GOJEK on the benefits of an in-house agency)In July this year, the ride hailing company rolled out a new visual identity, swapping the Ojek (bike taxis in Bahasa Indonesia) logomark for “Solv”, a nearly-rounded ring encircling a dot. The rebrand seeks to reflect the company’s evolution from a Jakarta-based ride-hailing service to Southeast Asia’s leading Super App.This comes after it recorded a 1,100% growth in transactions on its platform over the last three years, from June 2016 to June 2019, on increased demand for GOJEK’s integrated services. According to the company, the rebrand sets the course for its next phase of growth, which will include further innovation and the strengthening of its integrated ecosystem of over 20 on-demand services.