Grab halts Mandarin driver trial in Malaysia after backlash, government warning
The controversy erupted earlier this week when a screenshot went viral on social media, showing that the cost to book a ride with a Mandarin-speaking driver was up to 50 per cent higher than for similar rides without the language requirement.
It provoked outrage in Malaysia, where identity politics and rising ethno-nationalism have deepened mistrust between the Malay majority and the country's ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
In response, the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) issued a reminder to e-hailing providers that their licensing conditions require booking systems to be 'fair and equitable to all drivers'. The agency warned that discrimination against e-hailing drivers was a criminal offence, carrying penalties of up to 200,000 ringgit (US$47,200) in fines and two years' imprisonment.
Apad, in a statement on Thursday, said it was 'committed to ensuring the sustainability of e-hailing services as a fair and inclusive public transportation service that is free from any form of discrimination towards all stakeholders'.
Grab had earlier defended the Mandarin driver option as a pilot project, launched in response to a surge in
tourist arrivals from China . The number of Chinese visitors reached 1.4 million in the first four months of 2025, according to Tourism Malaysia, a 38 per cent year-on-year increase.
'This experiment was crucial in testing the sustainability and demand among tourists, as we work towards introducing support for additional languages,' Grab said in a statement on Thursday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
36 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
China and US are locked in high-stakes fight to shape AI future
China and the United States are locked in a fierce battle over artificial intelligence. But the two scientific powerhouses have very different endgames in mind. While Washington wants to dominate the field with a few close allies, Beijing sees its development as a win-win for all. It has called for global governance , while Chinese industry and research promote open sources In its latest move, Huawei Technologies is offering its CANN platform – Compute Architecture for Neural Networks – as an open-source software toolkit for programmers and researchers. CANN runs on Huawei's Ascend AI processors and is designed to rival Nvidia's proprietary Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA), established as the standard platform around the world. High-level open-source capabilities, including the popular DeepSeek , aim to bolster China's tech self-sufficiency by providing alternative platforms for developers to build applications for domestic software. But China also sees a bright future for its open-source technology around the world, especially in developing economies. At the recent World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, global governance and cooperation was its main theme. It opened as the White House released its own policy framework that makes American AI dominance the main goal, through deregulation, infrastructure investment and expanding AI exports exclusively to allies in a technological race with China. US President Donald Trump has characterised it as a fight the US started, and one it will win. Premier Li Qiang warned at the conference that because AI required high concentrations of technology, capital and talent, it could end up becoming an 'exclusive game' for a select few rich nations and their companies. Instead, he has called for global governance to better explore and develop the full potential of AI as well as managing risks. Washington's vision is starkly different. Beijing has also offered a 13-point action plan that includes setting up research laboratories, AI education and training, and joint development of AI programming.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Fatal crash underscores need for rigorous tests for older taxi drivers
Safety is paramount in all forms of transport, particularly the fitness of drivers. Age alone does not determine that, but safety records can highlight that factor. The increasing number of elderly taxi drivers in Hong Kong and their rising accident rates have long been a concern. A fatal crash involving an 80-year-old driver this week is a case in point. His taxi mounted a hotel taxi rank in Tsuen Wan, killing a 35-year-old tourist from the Philippines. The cabby said he felt dizzy before his vehicle crashed. The accident has sparked renewed debate about the need for rigorous health, vision and hearing tests for older drivers. As the city's population ages, more seniors need to continue working to maintain a living income, including by driving cabs and commercial vehicles. The question they face is how else they would make a living. While many are experienced drivers, there is no defence against impairment of driving abilities through any age-related decline in health. It is recognised that apart from the increased risk of age-related medical incidents, from dizziness to heart attacks, contributing factors in accidents include diminished vision, slower reaction times and hearing loss. Figures on accidents involving elderly taxi drivers show a sharp increase over the past two years. Those aged 70 or above had 651 accidents last year, up by more than 43 per cent compared to 2022. Cabbies in their sixties were involved in 2,021 incidents, a 40 per cent increase. Drivers over 70 applying for or renewing licences must furnish a medical certificate at least once every three years. An expert panel suggested stepping up health checks annually from the age of 65. It is good to hear from the Transport and Logistics Bureau that the government is finalising proposals to tighten requirements. Critics may argue that rigorous testing could unfairly discriminate against capable and fit elderly drivers. In that regard, as the city ages, it is true that people are ageing better, but differently. Every serious accident involving elderly drivers sparks the same debate. The issue has been too easily swept under the carpet. The time has come for action to set guidelines that strike a clearer balance between protecting the public and safeguarding the rights of the elderly.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
How Alibaba and Meituan are fighting for customers, 1 free drink at a time
Shanghai delivery rider Xie Yu was halfway through his shift on Thursday when he realised he would end up with nearly 100 orders for the whole day, double his average number. The reason for the huge spike? Chinese consumers were lapping up offers of free drinks and discounted meals from food delivery giants Alibaba Group Holding and Meituan. 'This is one of the craziest days I've experienced since I became a rider,' said Xie, 39, who has worked for both Alibaba's and Meituan over the past six years. In recent months, he has seen an increasing number of orders from Alibaba's flagship Taobao platform, whereas before, six out of 10 came from Meituan. The past week has seen an escalation in the 'free drinks war' between the two giants, an extension of their broader price war designed to draw more consumers to their respective platforms. A week ago, Alibaba began offering daily vouchers worth 18.8 yuan (US$2.60), but then upgraded the campaign this week by offering 1 million free milk teas each day from Thursday through Sunday.
