Grab introduces three new safety initiatives

PETALING JAYA: E-hailing service provider, Grab, which welcomed the passing of the e-hailing rules in parliament, has introduced three new safety features to its service.
These new initiatives include an emergency button, Eagle-i CVR in-car dash cam and a telematics programme.
The emergency button connects passengers to the national emergency response service (MERS 999), on which the company said it is committed to invest resources to continue developing this feature.
It is also working with Eagle-i, its official safety camera partner to provide free dash cams, which are able to record both audio and visual of up to 90 minutes of footage with a 120-degree view in the vehicle. Grab said it will be providing the dash cams for free to 3,500 top performing female and platinum drivers nationwide.
Besides the two, the telematics programme which was rolled out in June in Singapore, identifies unsafe driving habits such as speeding, swerving and hard braking and accelerating, while also educating drivers about ways to improve their driving experience and providing them with a weekly summary of their driving patterns.
The government on Thursday amended the Land Public Transport (LPT) Act 2010, stipulating e-hailing service providers to meet the requirements similar to those placed on conventional taxi drivers. In line with that, service providers will be given one year to adjust to the new regulations.
Grab said the one-year period will allow it to review its operations as well as clarify and address any challenges that may come up when implementing the amended regulations, and to assist its drivers in ensuring a seamless transition period.
“We pledge to continue our collaborative efforts with the authorities and look forward to continue our efforts to engage and work cohesively with them in all the cities we are currently in (and hope to be in) to grow our services so that we can continue to provide reliable, convenient, affordable and above all, safe transport options for all,” Grab said in a statement.
Grab currently operates in 25 cities across the nation.