Dego Ride Can Help Solve KL's Traffic Jams

Motorcycle taxi and delivery service provider, Dego Ride, said that the demand for a motorcycle-based ride-hailing service is higher than ever thanks to the worsening traffic congestion in the Klang Valley.

While the demand is there, Dego Ride CEO Nabil Feisal Bamadhaj said that the company is still waiting for approval from Putrajaya in order for it to operate legitimately, particularly in offering ride-hailing services using motorcycles.

Dego Ride struggling to find riders

While the demand continues to rise, particularly as a possible solution to the first mile-last mile public transportation issues, Dego Ride has been struggling to find riders for fear that it might still be illegal. It's been two years since the trial run was approved, but it's been quiet ever since.

According to Nabil, "As of April 2022, since the restrictions started loosening up, we saw traffic becoming worse and we saw there is an increase in demand for our service. Today we have been struggling to cope with demand. We need more riders to support us but the issue is that the riders were afraid to join us, they were skeptical if we are allowed or not allowed."

500 riders on the road (so far)

With around 500 riders working for Dego Ride, the company is still struggling to cater to the rise in demands in densely populated areas within the Klang Valley. Services like DegoFood, DegoRun, and DegoDelivery have risen in popularity, particularly in areas like Lembah Pantai.

If Putrajaya is able to greenlight Dego Ride to its full potential, it might even convince more folks to opt for public transportation instead since it can be a more affordable solution in connecting the Klang Valley's patchy public transport system.

*Image credit: Malay Mail

Key election issue for 15th GE?

Solving traffic congestion will most likely be one of the key talking points in the next general election. Dego Ride truly believes that they can help solve this matter up to a certain degree with more agile vehicles like motorcycles and scooters.

Policymakers are divided in approving motorcycles to be used to ferry people around due to safety concerns (which was why it was banned in 2017). Dego Ride's counter was the fact that there were no fatalities reported during its trial run back in 2016. 

Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil fully supports services like Dego Ride. He said "If you already have that type of mobility, why not look at ways to legalise and also generate tax? I think if it's done the right way it can help many people."

"It's particularly applicable in these densely populated areas where there will be a high volume of traffic at peak hours for people to travel to transit hubs. So I hope the services by Dego Ride or any type of similar public transit service provider will be welcomed by the government and lawmakers," added Fahmi.