The government is mulling legalising ride-sharing service Uber and Grabcar if the operators comply with certain conditions.

A formula and announcement will be made after a workshop conducted by the Transport Ministry and Land Public Transport Commission (Spad) in near future, said Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi.

Among the things operators need to comply with are the registration of the drivers, Public Service Vehicle licence (PSV), routine vehicle inspection by Puspakom, and a special insurance coverage for passengers, according to Aziz.

The government would not act against ride-sharing service for the time being, he said as quoted by Malay daily Berita Harian today.

The government will be able to control the services as soon as the regulations are enforced, he said.

The government decided to regulate Uber and Grabcar after taking into account the public's views, which perceive the ride-sharing services as transparent, fast and efficient, he added.

"The government has taken into consideration all parties and the request of the young generation, especially those who view that Uber and Grabcar have brought them convenience and felt it was unfair to stop them from operating," he said, according to the Malay daily.

In order to be fair to taxi drivers, he said the government will reduce the operation cost of the taxi driver by extending the current vehicle inspection period from once every six months to once a year.

“Spad may introduce a new system dubbed 'mini taxis' once it is finalised,” he said, adding the operators of Uber and Grabcar should observe the new regulations then.

A poll conducted by Spad found that 70 percent, or 32,054 out of 46,265 respondents, want Uber and Grabcar apps to be regulated to allow their services to be available according to the laws.