AS SOCAR nears its third year of operation in Malaysia, the car-sharing platform is fast becoming a familiar brand among students and young adults, especially in Klang Valley, Penang and Johor. Being able to get behind the wheels of dream machines is one selling point but users will also benefit from the convenience of its latest service, SOCAR2U.
To start using SOCAR, users should first download the application and become a member. The app will prompt for the users to upload a photo of their IC or passport, as well as a photo of driver’s licence details.
Once done, members can log on, select the car of their choice that is nearest to their current location and start their journey. The car can be returned to a designated SOCAR parking space.
With SOCAR2U, the platform now offers door-to-door delivery service where users may reserve their preferred car and have it delivered to their choice of pick up point, and then picked up from their desired return location by just adding an extra RM10. SOCAR2U is currently only available in Klang Valley.
As the company marks its 2,000th car in its fleet, the expansion of the platform has been charted for the coming months. According to SOCAR Malaysia chief executive officer Leon Foong, demand for car sharing has increased tremendously since it first started last year.
“At SOCAR, we use data to tap into the preferences of our customers, rolling out car models at locations and price points that prove irresistible to our end user.
“Based on our growth since we launched last year, Malaysians are embracing our mission to enable people to enjoy the convenience and pleasure of having a car without the commitment and hassle of owning one,” said Foong.
“I’ve started to witness a lot of what we call multi-flex behaviour, which is when people start to combine multiple options of public transportation — bus, LRT, MRT, e-hailing and car-sharing — to suit their transportation needs. So rather than relying on private car ownership as their one and only option, we’re starting to see people embrace all other options available to them.
“I’m very happy to see that SOCAR can be one of the affordable and convenient options.”
Foong said SOCAR’s membership base has grown to 500,000 strong, with more milestones to be achieved.
“We’re going to be in more cities, more countries and hopefully offer new business models on our platform.
“We started with only 100 SOCAR zones and are proud to have grown that tenfold to over 1,000 SOCAR zones across the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor. If you’re living outside these areas, rest assured that we are looking to expand our services to other states in Malaysia in the near future,” promised Foong.
