This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on July 28, 2016.

KUALA LUMPUR: E-commerce services provider Dagang NeXchange Bhd (DNeX) has launched its new taxi-hailing application, Move, and is hoping to secure around 5,000 more taxi drivers by year end.

Its executive director Datuk Patrick Wong said the app, which started operations last week, is on a trial run. 

“Move is our latest app, a ride-hailing app focused on public transportation, specifically taxis. We now have over 1,000 drivers and are looking to add 5,000 more by year end,” Wong said after the launch yesterday.

He said DNeX is limiting its scope of drivers to those with taxis aged six years and below, adding that the group is limited to a few hundred customers over the trial period.

“We are not going to the mass market yet. We want to focus on taxis [aged] six years and below, focusing on quality, safety and comfort,” he said.

Move will cover the Klang Valley first, before Penang and Johor. Wong said Move is different from other ride-hailing apps, as it focuses on the well-being of the drivers, while catering to the needs of customers, by providing benefits like taxi maintenance, insurance and medical. “These benefits will be borne by DNeX, but we will be selective,” he said.

On expected contributions, he said DNex has no target yet, and is taking a long-term position on the app, expecting it to pick up after one to two years.