Uber's priority to improve on safety and growth
Published on: Friday, December 15, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: It has been 20 months since Uber was launched here, but the ride sharing technology it brings has visibly impacted the people in the public transportation landscape. It has demonstrated how it is moving Malaysia with the power of technology. Visitors here are able to enjoy safe, affordable and reliable transportation. At the same time, drive-partners have the opportunity to earn additional income with the flexibility.
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"Our priority next year is to continue to improve in terms of safety and growth, to make sure that we are growing not just by expansion but also in the quality of the experience for both riders and our drive-partners," said Uber's Head of Communications for Southeast Asia Leigh Wong, here, Thursday. "We are constantly improving the experience for Uber in KK, and make sure we have a team on the ground to help both drivers and riders improve that experience, we want to grow, we want to be sustainable in the sense that we are not here for the short term, we really want to be here and slowly transform the way people move."You can expect us to do a lot of product and announcement along that features, services and all kinds of announcements later on," he told a media conference here. On whether there has been any issues with taxis, he said there is no problem from their (Uber) side.
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"I can't speak on behalf of taxis, but what we are keen to explore is to ensure that we continue to partner with everybody and make things better for everyone. "I have not heard as much (complains), we have not seen road drivers complain or write in, so it could be possibly improving , but that is something on the surface and it seems to be improving," he explained.
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On issues related to safety, he said "I think what we have to recognise that every transportation in any situation will always have issues, we are committed to making sure that things are as safe as possible.""We are building in a lot of safety features, a lot of processors as well and at the same time we believe that riders and drivers play a part, remember that we are a technology company that is providing this platform that is why we also have what we call the community guidelines. "It is specific requirements for people who want to be part of the Uber community, whether rider or driver, you also do your part to make sure that it is a safe experience for everyone," he added. Uber currently operates in 15 cities nationwide, including Kota Kinabalu (launched in May 2016) and Sandakan (launched in June this year). In Kota Kinabalu there are hundreds of thousands of riders and about a few thousand driver-partners, where about 13 per cent are female driver-partners. The most number of trips by a drive-partner in Kota Kinabalu was more than 6,000, while most number of trips by a rider is more than 900. Uber have also recorded visitors from 381 cities in 78 countries who have used Uber in the State Capital. The top five locations Ubered in Kota Kinabalu are the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Imago Shopping Mall, Centre Point Shopping Complex, KK Times Square and Api-Api Centre. Meanwhile, Uber driver-partner William Kok, 57, said he could earn an average of RM4,000 a month, adding that it was a good way to earn, especially with the flexible hours. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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