Thousands of motorcycles zip along Malaysia's crowded city streets every day. But it's never been possible to legally hail one for a ride. Now the government is moving to give the green light to motorcycle e-hailing services. But while local motorcycle service and e-hailing companies are also keen to get on board, the plan has plenty of critics, as Rian Maelzer reports from Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysians are used to getting many services, such as food delivery, via motorcycle. They are also big users of car e-hailing services. And soon, they'll be able to hail rides on motorcycles too. Local firm Dego Ride tried offering motorbike ride-hailing services a couple of years ago before the authorities swiftly shut them down. They've only been able to offer delivery services since then.

NABIL FEISAL BAMADHAJ CEO, DEGO RIDE "A lot of people were enthusiastic. Our previous riders actually contacted us asking us when could they get started right away and they were so keen. Especially for the lower-income Malaysians, this is a very good opportunity. So the potential is quite great."

Car e-hailing has faced a strong backlash from taxi operators. They also oppose motorcycle e-hailing, as do road safety experts, fearing an increase in the more than 4,000 motorcycle fatalities here each year.

LAW TEIK HUA PROFESSOR, TRAFFIC ENGINEER, UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA "Since day 1 my standpoint is that I totally disagree with this kind of service for two reasons: because this service against two national policies. The first one is the road safety policy and the second one is the public transport policy. We have spent billions to build, to improve public transport. We are moving backwards."

RIAN MAELZER KUALA LUMPUR "The government says it will be looking to motorcycle e-hailing services to improve connectivity to the existing rapid transit system, getting people to and from stations quickly and cheaply."

Professor Law rejects that rationale, and says such services will increase the number of motorcycles on Malaysia's already congested roads. The government is counting on the industry to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. And local firm Dego Ride is counting on competition from industry giants, Indonesia's Gojek and homegrown Grab, who will look to motorcycle e-hailing in Malaysia to further expand their reach. Rian Maelzer, CGTN, Kuala Lumpur.