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Automation and the Future of Work
Aaron Benanav
Verso Books: 2020
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Work in an Evolving Malaysia: The State of Households 2020, Part II
Khazanah Research Institute: 2020
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When I first arrived in Kuala Lumpur in 2015, transportation in the city was still dominated by the old red and white, or blue taxis. To order one, you called a taxi company, used a taxi counter in malls or train stations or tried your luck on the side of the road. It was an analogue model: taxi drivers applied for permits to run their cars, the prices were fixed by the government and a whole system of operators and attendants was required to keep it running. It made the drivers able to monopolise the market, charge off the meter and choose their own routes.

Then Grab and Uber arrived. Within a year, these apps had completely transformed the industry. Their business model placed passengers in direct contact with drivers who often drove as a second job, their prices could undercut taxi drivers and a review system allowed drivers to be monitored. It didn’t need middlemen and it didn’t need full-time workers; it was connecting passengers in need of a more convenient service with drivers who had spare time and needed additional income. In a short period, it changed the fabric of the city.

• Tags: Aaron Benanav, Charles Brophy, Issue 22, Malaysia