MELAKA, April 18 — The Melaka government today introduced the use of e-wallets through the Touch ‘n Go app for trishaw services in the state, Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali said.
He said the initiative, introduced by the Tourism Promotion Division, was in line with the development of technology and was user friendly and was a step to stop the spread of Covid-19 infections.
“As of today, almost 80 per cent of trishaw pullers in Melaka have received payments through the Touch ‘n Go e-wallet and it is estimated that all 305 registered trishaw pullers will use this method of payment soon.
“Melaka trishaws are the first in the country to use the e-wallet app and I congratulate those who have transitioned to using the Touch ‘n Go app,” he told reporters after presenting Hari Raya Aidilfitri donations to trishaw pullers in the state at Bandar Hilir here today.
Sulaiman said the 305 registered trishaw pullers in the state received RM200 in cash and basic necessities and the one-off donation was an annual agenda for the state government in its efforts to ensure the welfare of the group. He hoped that the donations would reduce their burden and help them in their preparation for the festivities after being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, trishaw puller, Amran Hashim, 50, said the introduction of the e-wallet would add value to the industry in terms of the use of technology and help trishaw pullers to become more tech-savvy.
Amran, how has been plying his trade for a decade, said the method gave customers more payment choices as most domestic tourists preferred cashless payment methods.
“Moving on, we hope more tourists will use e-wallet payments as it makes payments easy. It’s easier and safer as we are still not free of Covid-19,” he said.
Another trishaw puller, Mohd Izwan Taib, 31, said the use of e-wallets was more secure as the payments would be deposited directly into their accounts, and help them avoid from losing the money accidentally and curb unnecessary spending.
“When customers pay with e-wallet, we don’t have to hold cash like before. So when we don’t have money in hand, expenses can be controlled,” the six-year trishaw veteran said.
He added that the method also helped them to save some of their income and also had a more systematic inflow of money into their bank accounts.
Fellow trishaw puller, Mohd Safwan Aziz, 29, shared that the e-wallet payments made paying for trishaw rides easy as they did not have to worry about having spare change for customer payments.
“Trishaw rides cost RM25 and RM50 per trip according to determined distance. So previously we would have to prepare spare change for customers,” he added. ― Bernama
