A survey has found that Malaysians are among the worst in the world when it comes to carpooling.
Appalling, no?
The survey conducted by the Kuala Lumpur-based Centre for Governance and Political Studies (Cent-GPS) has revealed that a staggering 87.3 per cent of Klang Valley residents opt to travel alone in their vehicles.
When Singapore carpooling app 'Ryde' made its way across the Causeway into Malaysia in October, one question arises: how well will the concept be accepted here?
“'Ryde' is not just a carpooling app – we are looking to build a community that creates a more conducive carpooling environment for Malaysians,” says Terence Zou, founder and CEO of Ryde.
“Our aim is to educate the Malaysian community on the benefits of carpooling to create a more sustainable and eco-friendly daily transportation option,” he adds.
'Ryde' works on matchmaking model - it matches drivers on a specific route with commuters hoping to hitch a ride, who already meant to head similar routes.
Given the fact that there is no such thing as a free ride, 'Ryde' fares are based on a not-for-profit model.
The app will recommend an amount to charge that will help cover the driver’s costs for the trip, taking into account distance travel, petrol, toll and car depreciation costs.
'Ryde' also offers zero commission fares to drivers, which means that the driver will be able to pocket 100 percent of his fares to compensate for his driving costs.
“We have more than half a million downloads so far. In Singapore, we have about 25,000 registered drivers. That’s about 5 percent of the private car drivers that have signed up on our platform. We have a close to 200,000 riders who are actively using our app,” says Zou.
'Ryde' is now available in four cities - Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Sydney.
“With the increasing levels of vehicular emissions, congestion on roads, and the high cost of owning a car, 'Ryde' is presenting carpooling as an economical and sustainable mode of transport to all Malaysians.”
“Rather than making that daily commute to and from work or school alone in peak hour traffic jams, carpooling provides the opportunity to ride with someone going in the same direction.
“Not only will this help to ease road congestion, reduce your carbon footprint, and help save on commuting costs, it will also expand your network and the potential to make new friends.”
Will 'Ryde' - focused solely on carpooling - take off in Malaysia?
Grab is already offering on-demand carpool sharing service called GrabShare.
Local carpooling and ride sharing platform Droupr resumed services after facing technical issues in the past few months, and is focused more on long-distance carpooling, particularly during the Hari Raya ‘balik kampung’ exodus.
At the risk of sounding petty, the carpooling concept is not new in Malaysia but has never caught on among commuters.
In 2017, German-based Wunder entered Malaysia with the same hope ‘to set up carpooling communities’ in Malaysia. (A search on App Store and Google Play store indicate the app is no longer available for download in Malaysia)
One feature that makes 'Ryde' different to Grab is its RydePET service where commuters can bring common household pets like dogs, cats, rabbits, turles and even fish (in bowls or plastic bags, of course), on the ride.
We speak with Ryde’s Terence Zou to find out how he plans to build the carpooling culture in Malaysia and expand the service to other cities such as Johor Bahru, Malacca and Penang.
Astro Awani
Wed Jan 08 2020
Will the Carpooling Culture Catch On in Malaysia? We speak with Terence to find out how he plans to build the carpooling culture. - Filepic
MITRA sudah belanja RM40 juta daripada peruntukan RM100 juta tahun ini
Sebanyak RM40 juta daripada peruntukan RM100 juta yang disalurkan kerajaan tahun ini kepada MITRA telah dimanfaatkan untuk pelbagai program.
Laporan Pasaran Labuan IBFC 2023 tunjukkan pemulihan kukuh, pertumbuhan luar biasa
Laporan Labuan IBFC 2023 mendedahkan pertumbuhan luar biasa wilayah itu yang menyumbang RM1.2 bilion kepada hasil fiskal Malaysia dan melepasi paras RM1 bilion buat pertama kalinya.
Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: Guinea-Bissau akur kepada Israel, tidak beri kebenaran guna bendera bagi misi pelayaran
Kerajaan Republik Guinea-Bissau dilaporkan tunduk dan akur kepada gesaan Israel untuk tidak membenarkan misi pelayaran Break The Siege: Freedom Flotilla to Gaza menggunakan bendera mereka.
Penyakit berkaitan haba dikhuatiri meningkat di Gaza
Penularan penyakit berkaitan haba panas menjadi kebimbangan terbaharu di Gaza selepas suhu luar jangka melampau melanda wilayah itu setiap hari. Ia sudah semestinya diburukkan lagi dengan kekurangan air bersih dan ketiadaan sistem pembuangan sisa pepejal yang sepatutnya wujud di sesebuah kawasan didiami manusia.
Ilhan Omar melawat peserta tunjuk perasaan
Wakil Dewan Perwakilan Amerika Syarikat (AS) Ilhan Omar mengadakan lawatan di kampus penyokong Pro Palestin di Universiti Columbia New York pada Khamis.
Dua lelaki didakwa jadi 'tali barut' kepada China
Dua lelaki yang mana salah seorangnya pernah bertugas di Parlimen United Kingdom (UK) enjalani proses perbicaraan di mahkamah London pada Jumaat selepas didakwa menjadi tali barut menyalurkan maklumat sulit kerajaan kepada negara tembok besar itu.
Polis serbu pejabat 'Save the Children' di Guatemala
Polis Guatemala melakukan serbuan mengejut ke atas pejabat-pejabat Pertubuhan Save the Children di pelbagai lokasi di negara itu. Ia bagi mencari bukti dakwaan pertubuhan yang memperjuangkan kebajikan kanak-kanak itu, terlibat dalam jenayah penderaan terhadap golongan itu.
LIMA '25 dianjurkan pada 20-24 Mei tahun depan
Pameran Maritim dan Aeroangkasa Antarabangsa Langkawi 2025 (LlMA ‘25) akan dianjurkan pada 20 hingga 24 Mei tahun depan bertemakan Innovate Today, Thrive Tomorrow.
Malaysia komited tingkat hubungan dua hala bersama Libya
Malaysia terus komited mempertingkatkan hubungan dua hala yang berterusan bersama Libya demi manfaat bersama dalam pelbagai sektor.
Demi rakyat, Zahid-Muhyiddin henti saman fitnah
Presiden Umno, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dan Presiden Bersatu, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin bersepakat untuk menamatkan pertikaian peribadi antara mereka.