GoCar Malaysia, the car-sharing platform that has been around since 2015, has a large fleet of cars to manage and obviously, it has to ensure that they are always in good condition for customers’ use. ‘Good condition’ doesn’t just refer to mechanical condition (although that is certainly important) but also the interior cleanliness of the vehicle – more so in these times of the COVID-19 epidemic.
To encourage community cleanliness and advocate car-hygiene, GoCar Malaysia has a campaign, called ‘GoClean’ which emphasizes that maintaining a clean and healthy environment is a collaborative effort. This is all the more important as many different individuals will be using the same vehicles which they can book for an hour or for longer periods.
To provide passengers with a comfortable and hygienic driving environment, GoCar Malaysia is constantly expanding its Fleet Maintenance team, increasing maintenance scheduling, and even uses customised algorithms that track which cars need to be maintained. In addition to this, GoCar members can be rewarded if they clean or wash their GoCar before returning it.
“GoCar is a car-sharing platform, which means users after users will be using the car after one another. We have users leaving burger wraps, unfinished drinks – once even chicken bones – and many other unsavoury things in the car. Nevertheless, we will continue to make more effort to maintain the cleanliness of GoCars, and we have to work together to make that a reality,” said Alan Cheah, CEO of GoCar, explaining the reason for the ‘GoClean’ campaign,
With the coronavirus epidemic evolving in the country, the need for preventative measures and healthy environments has never been felt more strongly. In the spirit of community cleanliness, GoClean is to implement a few actions to help make this possible.
Firstly, antibacterial wipes with Benzalkonium Chloride (BC) are placed in the glovebox of each vehicle for users to wipe down the steering wheel, the seats, and door handles. Antibacterial wipes are said to be some of the main preventative measures the public can take against the spread of any illness. GoCar members are thus urged not to remove the antibacterial wipes from the vehicles. If they are not present, the member can contact GoCar.
There are also reminders on the windscreen to ensure that users maintain the cleanliness of the vehicle and subsequently, reimbursement will be given for taking a GoCar for a car wash before returning it via the GoPocket points.
GoCar, which offers an alternative to car ownership for Malaysians, is available in over 400 locations at 72 towns and cities in 7 states. Depending on the requirement, there are sedans, SUVs, MPVs, and even pick-up trucks to choose from. Since February this year, the company also accepts P-licence holders as members.
