M'sia ride-hailing driver banned from all platforms for trying to touch female passenger in back seat

An e-hailing driver in Malaysia will have his licence to offer such rides terminated after he allegedly tried to touch a female passenger, who was travelling in his car in Johor Bahru.

“The cancellation of the PSV (Public Service Vehicle) licence means that the driver is no longer allowed to operate as a driver on any e-hailing platform”, the Malaysia transport ministry said in a Feb. 3 statement.

Police in Johor Bahru are reportedly investigating the video as it apparently showed what happened.

“The ministry, through the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD), will also summon all e-hailing operators to present an improvement action plan to enhance passenger safety," the ministry said in the statement.

“We will not tolerate any behaviour that compromises passenger safety and are prepared to support the victim to ensure that police action is taken against the perpetrator,” it added.

Grad Malaysia said in response to the incident: "We are truly sorry that the passenger went through this distressing experience on our platform. We have reached out to offer our support, and the driver-partner’s account has been banned, while we will cooperate with the authorities as needed."

The driver has since been identified, and was allegedly a school teacher.

What happened

Two videos shared online on Feb. 1 were apparently done so by the female passenger's sibling.

The incident occurred when the female passenger was travelling from Taman Mount Austin to R&F Mall.

The driver was caught on video reaching towards the back seat and trying to touch female passenger's thigh.

She was in the rear seat towards the left-hand side of the car.

The driver could be heard asking in the video: “How old are you this year? Can you speak Mandarin?”

He also asked in Mandarin for her age and if he could pay for her company.

She refused to respond to him.

Top photo via Facebook