Taxi drivers in Malaysia have been urged to focus their efforts into improving their services and image instead of protesting against ride-sharing services such as Uber, GrabCar and the like. “Taxi drivers must find ways to improve their services such as providing a comfortable ride, be friendly and use a fare meter,” a spokesman for the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) told the New Straits Times.
“Taxi drivers must understand that it is they who opened up the opportunity for alternative ride services to rise because of their poor services to passengers,” added the spokesperson. Said comment was made in relation to the recent case involving a group of taxi drivers who were caught on video harassing Uber/GrabCar vehicles in the vicinity of KLCC.
“Not only their action is against the law, but they also have just created a negative perception to public with their gangster-like attitude,” said the SPAD spokesperson. “We don’t encourage taxi drivers to take matters to their own hands as they don’t have a legal right to do so. Each action taken must be according to the law and everyone must respect the law.”
Aside from the recent commotion at KLCC, another group of taxi drivers were responsible for staging an ambush on a GrabCar operative during a protest at SPAD’s headquarters in Kelana Jaya. A member of the group had earlier requested for a car via said platform to lure the driver in. As soon as the driver arrived, the group prevented him from leaving the scene before urging SPAD officials to conduct an arrest.
As for its efforts in helping to curb the rise of illegal taxis, SPAD has confirmed that it has seized a total of 132 vehicles since October 2014. Of the total, 89 cars were driven by GrabCar operatives while a further 43 were driven by Uber operatives. Drivers caught providing transport services without a valid license will have their cars confiscated, fined up to RM10,000 and/or served with a one-year prison sentence.
Also, the commission will, along with the Road Transport Department (JPJ), continue to blacklist private car owners who provide illegal transport services. The suspected drivers will be identified and called in for an interview with the commission. Should the driver fail to turn up or submit his/her car for inspection after numerous notices, they will be prevented from renewing their road tax.
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Organize protest – very fast and efficient. Provide good service? Lu cari teksi lain lah
Our taxi drivers are as efficient as our Proton cars
Our taximen are as safe as LGE-approved UMW toyotas…
LGE approved – diharamkan
UMNO approved – dihalalkan
UMNO buys Hondas, LGE buys UMW toyotas+ S-class
IGP scared to do anything to any teksi driver. See who owns all the teksi licences in Malaysia. Nearly all owned by UMNO big boys and heads of divisions.
He dare not touch them. He only dare to arrest and prosecute the man who steals bread from the provision shop to feed his poor children.
That guys who steals bread will get 10 years jail but the teksi drivers who promote violence and violate national security, IGP run away scared.
Only give soft advice to taxi gangs.
But for Uber folks it’s totally opposite.
these hooligans see their own PM act like hooligan, so, they think it is okey to act like hooligan. Leaders must show example first. Not break the law and get away with it.
One man can songlap RM2.6 billion is just one news we know. What about the other times he songlap that we don’t know about? I think it runs to hundreds of billions.
Taib songlap US$20 billion (RM80 billion) also nothing happen to him. Infact he was rewarded for his songlap and made Governor and given Tunship.
What about the songlaps by the other Menteri and Government officials?
It all runs to hundreds of billions per annum the Songlap.
This is why we get low spec lousy cars with super high prices. Our guardians are more interested in Songlap than fighting for the rakyat to get good and safe cars that are also reasonably priced.
This is why we get thugs threatening those who work hard like Uber and Grabcar
Cukurlah ada SPAD, our country can become more civilised
Title should be read as this;
Taxi drivers urged to “improve their services” instead of vandalising Uber cars, GrabCar – SPAD
Ok now that SPAD has given us some lip service for PR purposes, will the PDRM step in and arrest the 100 taxi drivers that were involved in gangsterism and organized crime at KLCC?
Taximen apprehending Ubermen. Legal definition = illegal. Rakyat definition = illegal.
Uber/Grabcar doing business. Legal definition = illegal. Rakyat definition = its okays. Legal. Dihalalkan.
Uber provides better service than the taxi and it is cheaper too. As a consumer, I have the right to choose which service I want for my money. I have made comparison of going to the same location with uber and taxi, I got to take a estima uber that charge me rm11 while the same route going back I took a taxi with smelly and dirty interior not to mention an old car that charge me rm12. GO FIGURE!!
Thischeap uber estima go sepang airpot 2 trip aday. rm11 sambil sambil cari makan tunggu airpot trip. I think, maybe 10 uber driver they used 20 car. 2 estima 10 myvi 8 vios and 2 motobike
One less customer taking the normal taxi here.
No point of telling them to improve. ..not another millennium. .just strip off their licence when found any offence against customers
Bad business due to bad services, they blame competitor. This is typical ” Malaysian tongkat” culture, can’t survive without total monopoly. Shame on you!
The teksi drivers in Malaysia all promote the sex industry in Malaysia. Any guy whether local or Mat Salleh go into any cab, they all ask whether we want sex.
it is a well known fact that the teksi drivers are getting commission for every customer they bring to the pimp or brothel.
JAIS knows this but they keep quiet.
SPAD knows this but they keep quiet.
Why is the Government allowing Malaysia to promote sex tourism to Mat Salleh and even to local men?
When you go to Thailand, the taxi drivers there will also ask you the same thing. Why not support our own local industry?
These drivers should just work harder instead of being jealous. they are so used to being lazy, makan nasi lemak, semua nak pertolongan kerajaan, kahwin empat dan Malam Jumaat.
Work harder and stop complaining. In Europe teksi drivers work so hard. In Malaysia, after send one passenger, park the car under the tree and sleep for an hour. So, in a day, take 4 or 5 1 hour naps in a 9 hour work day.
Finally, SPAD told these fellas to buck up! Yup, give it straight to their face. Wake up! There will be no demand if UBER and GRABCAR service sucks. The have the technology and process governance to ensure high quality of service. Who wants to ride on a thug’s cab. Without proper performance evaluation, there is no control. How to promote Visit Malaysia with people who serve tourists have bad attitude? Remember, taxi drivers can be the ambassadors to our visitors. Everyone wants a wonderful memory when they travel. Don’t you?
I’ll kill those gangster taxi drivers. Die you greedy chazzers!
Say hello to my little friend!
i openly tell the taxi driver off that i going to take uber if he is not using the meter. so far no one dares to fight
Even if they were to give proper service, taxi drivers are at the losing end as they don’t compete at same level. Uber drivers operated with personal car with no insurance, no need to adhere public transport law, no declaration of income hence paying tax, no licence fee.
That is just excuses. Taxi driver can actually compete, it is bog down to the taxi companies whether they willing to fork out money they earned all this years for such changes. They can reduce the taxi license fee to RM5 instead of RM50 a day, change all taxis to cars not older than 5 years, govt to reduce PSV license fee to on par with individual driving license, etc. Most taxi driver do not even adhere to the rules on the road as they drive like they owned the road, so don’t mention about public transport law. Govt can enforced tax collected on Uber and Grabcar too.
Easy fix. No matter how near the place passenger is going. USE THE METER! All this wont happen if all drivers use METER!
SPAD only interested on getting money from app taxi and conventional taxi only. If app taxi is illegal just revoke it and reduce the hassle all parties.
From Iwan Dani:
Most of my fellow taxi drivers are not affected by UBER or Grabcar. We just do our job, stick to the rules, charge by the meter and Alhamdulillah our customers have continued to use our services, often times tipping us to show their appreciation.
What do affect us negatively, are the following:
1. SPAD ‘forcing’ us to rent taxis from crony companies by refusing to issue permits directly to drivers. Many people are not aware that for a Saga BLM, this rental comes up to more than RM1500 a month. Considering that monthly payment for a BLM is less than RM500, every month these cronies are effectively leeching RM1000 from each driver, all because they hold the permits that SPAD refuse to grant to drivers, ie, the poor sods who are actually doing all the work.
2. SPAD allowing certain parties monopoly on lucrative pick-up locations. Most people don’t know that taxis that wish to enter KLCC must pay a monthly ‘levy’. We can drop off passengers, but we can’t pick-up passengers unless we pay this levy. Others locations (KLIA, Terminal Putra, Subang Airport and Rawang KTM to mention a few) only allows ‘association’ members to operate there. Passengers are forced to use the taxis there instead of using one of their choice. Hell, I can’t even pick up my own mother from KLIA using my cab.
3. PUSPAKOM officers abusing their authority. I’ve had the misfortune of my taxi failing the inspection because the officer determine that my tint is illegal although the readings show that it is way within the stipulated limit. Yup, they can actually fail you simply because they want to.
4. SPAD arbitrarily changing the permit validity period. My taxi was originally permitted to operate until 2020. However, this validity was suddenly changed to 2017, reducing my car’s useful economic life by 30%.
Given the above, I’m perplexed as to why these cabbies are angry at UBER when their wrath should have been directed to SPAD, instead. I can only deduce that the cabbies most affected by UBER and Grabcar are those dishonest black sheep who refuse to use meter and always trying to fleece their customers.
Hi,
Then, all the taxi drivers should just switch to UBER/Grabcar to run away from those crony companies?