Amid increased scrutiny over the safety aspects of ride-sharing services in Malaysia, e-hailing company Uber today said that crime incidents including robbery only comprise 0.01 percent of total complaints received from its passengers.

Uber Southeast Asia regional general manager Chan Park said the
figure was taken from approximately 8.2 percent of rides rated below four stars by millions of passengers across 15 major cities in Malaysia. 

"When I look at some of the incidences - a rider felt like a driver was cheating, other minor incidences, or some of the events that happened recently...you add all that up, you are really talking about 0.01 percent of the complaints received.

"I would like to point out that these incidences are an anomaly," he told a press conference at Uber's office in Petaling Jaya here.

While acknowledging increased public concerns following reported incidents of robbery involving Uber drivers in Malaysia, Chan stressed the company's commitment to ensuring safety of its passengers and drivers.

"What we have to do is create technology features for safety not only before but during and after a ride.

"We have to use a mix of technology and policies to ensure things that can be avoided will absolutely be avoided," he said.

This is on top of the existing screening process and background check for all new drivers, he added.

A 26-year-old sales assistant from Puchong was robbed at knife point by her Uber driver and his accomplice last month and it was later reported that she suffered a miscarriage due to the incident.

The 22-year-old suspect from Kulim was arrested on May 25 and police later revealed that he had two past criminal records.

Chan declined to comment on the case but insisted that Uber is constantly reviewing its screening process to identify blind spots that contributed to the hiring of rogue drivers.

"I promise, I know, that the platform will be safer every time these things happen," he said.

Uber Malaysia head of public policy and government relations Sharul Shaari, meanwhile, said the company is looking forward to e-hailing industry being legalised through regulations targeted to be passed during the next parliament session in July.

"E-hailing operators and drivers can and will be held accountable under the law.

"We look forward to Uber being regulated in the next few months," he said.

Among others, under the proposed amendment to the Land Public Transport Act 2010, all e-hailing drivers will be required to register with the Land Public Transport Commission (Spad) and will be subjected to stringent background checks in synergy with other enforcement agencies, including the police and the Road Transport Department.

Responding to the Puchong robbery case, Spad had also said that all e-hailing providers will be required to incorporate an SOS button into their mobile application to ensure public safety is guaranteed.

Asked for an update on Uber's progress, Shahrul said the company is still looking at ways to implement the panic button for passengers who felt threatened while on a ride, or whether there are other technologies that can be implemented. 

Also present during the press conference were Uber Malaysia general manager Leon Foong and Uber Malaysia head of marketing Geraldine Wong.