Despite promising sweeping changes to the taxi and ride-sharing industry, the Land Public Transport Commission’s (SPAD)’s cabinet-approved Taxi Industry Transformation Programme (TITP) has been met by a lukewarm response from taxi drivers and operators, according to reports from The Star and The Malay Mail.
Yesterday, SPAD held a two-hour town hall meeting with stakeholders – including taxi and ride-sharing drivers – to explain the 11 initiatives that are aimed at settling the ongoing feud between the two camps. Among the regulations, ride-sharing services like Uber and Grab will be legalised and regulated, requiring drivers to have a SPAD-issued driver’s card and vehicles to undergo compulsory road-worthiness inspections.
Additionally, all cars with an ASEAN NCAP rating of at least three stars will be eligible to be used as taxis, while taxi operators will be required to provide drivers with a rent-free day for Puspakom inspection, annual and sick leave, first party vehicle insurance and deposit refund at the end of the contract. Driver screenings will also be more stringent, and fare structures will be revised for consistency.
Big Blue Taxi Services founder Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail dismissed the proposed legislations, calling them “nothing new” and claiming that allowing any car to be used as public transport will cause the taxi industry to decline. “This initiative looks more like they want to aid the Uber industry and not the taxi industry,” he said.
He said that the ruling would be misused by ride-sharing drivers, as SPAD has not set specific regulations on which types of cars can be used – defeating the previous colour coding system set by the government. “I am really unhappy about this. They can’t do this because this means your [Perodua] Myvi or Kancil can become a taxi. So when general cars become taxis, what happens to our industry?” he asked.
“[Prime minister] Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had previously said one taxi, one type and 1Malaysia, where is all that now?” he continued. “When people come to Malaysia, they know that the blue taxi is executive and reliable and [is available as an] MPV, but now this initiative is mixing it all up. They make small things into big issues but overlook the more serious matters.”
Shamsubahrin also urged Najib to invest more in SPAD to enable the commission to more strictly enforce parties looking to take advantage of ride-sharing services. He added that the TITP should have focused on improving other aspects such as ensuring proper insurance for drivers.
“I have asked to discuss about the real transformation. What needs to be done? It is time to wisely spend on the industry,” he said. “What I want is for the government to invest more into enforcement and infrastructure and improve the income of taxi drivers by these enforcements.”
Meanwhile, Sector Taxi group secretary Apriman Dalias lamented the liberalisation of allowed taxi models, saying, “Are we, as Malaysians, going to be allowed to be shamed by foreign cars? Any country that makes their own cars uses [them as] taxis.”
Apriman added that the proposal would cause Malaysian models other than the traditionally-used Proton sedan models to be sidelined, as most of these vehicles are not made to the specifications required by SPAD to be used as a public transport vehicle.
“Here in Malaysia, the local cars [don’t] follow the specifications to be made as taxis. The cars that will be taken to be made as cabs would be cheap and low maintenance [such as] Japanese cars and in the end, local cars [would] be abandoned,” he said.
Malaysian Taxi Drivers’ Transformation Association (PERS1M) president Kamaruddin Mohd Hussain said the proposal would put taxi and ride-sharing services under the same system, which would jeopardise the latter.
“The new legislation will allow services like Uber and Grab to operate under the same structure as taxis and this will kill the industry due to ‘overflow,'” he said. “Approximately 150,000 permits will be approved, which will create an excess in taxis and an imbalance between users and drivers. Overall, we do not agree with the initiatives proposed by SPAD.”
Klang Valley Taxi Drivers Action Committee chairman Zailani Isausuludin urged ride-sharing services to be banned until new laws are passed by the parliament, saying that allowing them to operate would not only destroy the taxi industry, but also cause transport laws to be abused.
“What we want now is that Uber and Grab do not abuse the law. They have no licence and are not legalised yet. We want them banned immediately until the laws are amended,” he said.
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Wow… I didn’t knew that they care proton that much, LOL.
Proton best in MY coz most taxi drivers use them! Toyota and P2 can’t compete lah! More taxi drivers using means better quality!
Proton is a junk like their taxi drivers. The only similarity is both are unwanted by the rakyat. Taxi drivers can protest as much as they want or even abandoned Proton… Coz we have abandoned them long ago in a galaxy far far away
I see decrepit Nissan Sentras, Old Toyota Coronas, and the newer Toyota Innova. Its not like they have all been local cars.
So what’s the problem then?
The big question we must ask here is why this guy is not sitting in prison? How come he got so much power until he can decide himself not to go jail? He should be serving his prison sentence given out last year.
This shows he is so powerful. If he is higher than the Jabatan Penjara, it means he is higher than PDRM also
Proton best in MY coz most taxi drivers use them! Toyota and P2 can’t compete lah! More taxi drivers using means better quality!
I believe the picture shows above is blue color taxi made by TOYOTA which is not local car. I saw nissan slyphy too.
That’s why it’s blue. If not, it will be red like red shirt protestors. Oh wai…
Najib diam diam tak cakap apa pun kena.
So when general cars become taxis, what happens to our industry?” he asked.
I don’t even mind foreigner think my car as taxis… Why he care so much ah???
Rubbish Proton along with Gangster Taxis should close shop. Both of these are just a burden to our nation
I tot they don like p1..
Of course they like lah… When they receive ‘special’ benefits from P1
Not that they dont like P1. They are scared the M’sians will prefer to foreign makes Uber cars compare to their local car taxi.
Datuk samsu minum samsu banyak ke? Meniaga feedlot meniaga teksi semua tali barut kroni. Suka tongkat, makan pun disuap macam belajar di UiTM. Takda jatidiri tak pandai berdikari.
UiTM lagi? This uni so famous ah?
En Samsu baling. Shut up and close shop. Nobody appreciates your lousy crony taxi service.
taxi fare.. decided by government … ride sharing fare ?
Yup, this is another plot to plotek P1. Cronies help each other mah
Decided by demand and supply. too many drivers? fare goes down. too many riders? fare goes up. sensible economics
Agreed. Looks to me the only concern is cronism and monopoly rather than to improve the service for the people. Too many drivers will not necessarily kill the industry if you have good system like drivers profiles, rating and user experience that the riders can choose from.
Yup, this is another plot to plotek P1
Whois that clown ?
Dr Evil from Austin Powers.
That is Dr Evil. He wants to rule the taxi world like how Proton rules our automotive industry until Dr. M becomes bapa automotive Thailand
Look at the freakin’ laser!
Your blue taxi = Innova also right?
Uber & Grab are part of taxi industry. Big Blue Taxi Services founder All Mighty Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail, please don’t confuse the PEOPLE especially taxi drivers. One more thing, please don’t ask our supreme leader to invest anything. He have his hand full with other problems.
Thanks.
My boss is under the scrutiny of FBI currently, so need to stay low for a while before accepting more donations.
I don’t understand what’s the problem. Willing donor, willing benefactor, right?
Stupid bastards.. Ask them to buy a Mercedes S-class and use as a taxi, then see how long will it take for them to recoup the cost. Of course taxi drivers will still prefer cheaper local cars due to lower overhead and faster ROI. If they don’t have such a simple business sense, they deserve to go broke and live on the streets like stray animals.
Proton cars that are used for taxis are very high quality and bullet proof unlike the cheap japs. Uber and Grab should all convert their cars into Proton
They will always find something or someone to blame.
Support Party Hard= support Tun= support PPB= support taximen= support nationalisation/cr= anti liberalisation= anti Uber/Grab= anti SPAD= anti NajibBNGov
U make the choice.
john ni really ‘like’ himself :)
Seeing so many NajibBNGov supporters disliking me, I goes askings my RBA comrades and oppo (bukan phone ye) supporters to liking me.
Their comment makes my day!
Apa ini bising punya botak .. aku tatap mau naik Grabcar, apa peduli nye pun!
U tak patriotic! Of course u dun care
booooooooooooo, all samseng cabbies go home tidur la. worst in the world
How can u say that? They all support Proton and our local industry unlike Uber and Grab
WE SHOULD ALL USE PROTON! BODOH PIANG LAH SPAD NI!
Anti SPAD= Anti NajibBNGov= support taximen
protectionism 1st mentality
Perlindungan budaya kita, macam Proton
More like cronyism..
Before I begin, I do urge the Paultan team to use another image of Dr Evil. That image cracks me up every time I scroll pass it for reasons unexplainable, and I am in the office.
Other than that, I think what’s here is all said and done and until the implementation of a law demanding Ride-Sharing app drivers to be sent to the guillotine, I don’t think the taxi drivers will rest. And what BullShiße about own countries use local cars as Taxi, the infamous black cab of London, is made by Chinese, New York uses a very much Japanese Toyota Camry hybrid or NV200 as their ‘taxi of tomorrow’, Sweeden has Volkswagen and Mercs as Taxis and not Saab or Volvo.
Until taxi drivers can stop staring at me like I’ve just murdered their family every time I hop into the passenger seat of my friends car, I stand firmly on the side of ride sharing apps.
I think we should start a petition asking paultan journo’s to stop publishing samsubrain’s picture on this site anymore. I just want to vomit when his face comes up.
As for these stupid barbs from taxi drivers, this is why education is important. We need to tell kids that if they don’t study hard in school, in future they will become moron taxi drivers in future. When that happens, even a goat wouldn’t want to be married to you.
Why? He luv Proton very much, just like we do
In May 2015, Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail was sentenced to a total of 73 years’ jail for money-laundering and cheating National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) executive chairman executive chairman Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail
I don’t know how he can come here to give a press conference. Should’nt he be in jail? Or does the Prison in Malaysia allow inmates to give press conference?
Or in Malaysia, court can order you to be in Prison but you can go in and out as you like?
Can our Ministers and IGP please grow some balls and put a stop to all this threats to public order and security in the country??
We shud be like 1st world France. Taximen r allowed to French Revolution Uber/Grab. Thats democracy & freedom.
Kunci Kunta
“Jail” is a BAD WORD.
“kAO tIM ” IS THE PASSWORD.
fORMER mca MINISTER VERY FOND of using this password,when he give speeches.
CM North kata willing buyer, willing seller woh
What they should do for taxi? Give lesen directly to driver. Not to stupid company that take advantage
now the taxi concern about the law? that’s funny!
Really lots of bulls, still talking bout their oen benefits rather than the taxi drivers as whole.
Thou I do agree, that opening to all cars optuon will hurt loca car makers, making restrictions to only local made cars should be made necessary, while on type of models, its up to the taxi drivers (since they gonna put restrictions that myvi, viva and kancil or any smaller cars are not allowed to enter klia/klia2)
Yet still all they still wanted is clinging to the ‘pajak’ system to continue monopolizing the taxi industry…
Malaysia has no laws. Look at how a hooligan and ex convict can threaten even Ministers and the PDRM. They are so scared of this man. Supposed to be in jail but he can overirde the Prison system. That powerful!
“[Prime minister] Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had previously said one taxi, one type and 1Malaysia, where is all that now?”
Itu mau turun harga kereta 30% pun Prime Minister sudah lupa wor. Aiya latok, lu baru tau ka?
Kahkahkahkahkah.
Forrester dari RM211k ke RM145k. Penurunan 31%. Janji telah ditepati.
Cukurrr
Cry babies. Huhuhu.
Who said Japanese cars are cheap? Isn’t Proton (Saga, Persona) still any cheaper than foreign makes? You can still continue to use Proton Saga, no one is going to stop you. Don’t take it as an excuse.
If they really care about the car industry, please don’t use Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Innova, Nissan Serena as cabs. Use Exora, Inspira (itupun Mitsu Lancer), new Perdana (itupun Honda Accord) as cabs also please.
Japs cars are cheaply maintained while Proton is maintained of the highest standard. The interior of our Proton is very tidy and nice, not smelly at all. All the tourists line up to try our beloved Proton
What is the problems of using bigger size vehicles? It is common market practice, demand and supply..if consumer can pay,why cant’s the consumer choose better vehicle?
Duh! If a business doesn’t leverage on lower CAPEX & OPEX costs for operations, sure die lar long term. Oh wait.. that’s what is happening – they ARE pupus-ing :P
Snippet from article:
“Here in Malaysia, the local cars [don’t] follow the specifications to be made as taxis. The cars that will be taken to be made as cabs would be cheap and low maintenance [such as] Japanese cars and in the end, local cars [would] be abandoned,” he said.
So all this while they’ve been using Kia Optima, that car is a national car?
Okayyyyy…
My customers used to ask me where is Nirvana and i always ferry them with my entrusted old Proton
With my P2Biza, Nirvana can come to ur customers now, thanks to our Road to Nirvana special package.
Sector Taxi group secretary Apriman Dalias lamented the liberalisation of allowed taxi models, saying, “Are we, as Malaysians, going to be allowed to be shamed by foreign cars? Any country that makes their own cars uses [them as] taxis.”
Which is why the New York taxis are Nissan vans… because Nissan isn’t Japanese. Its American.
Duhh.
He is clutching at straws with his fake patriotism.
Whats the fuss? If you can’t beat them join them! If you think it is hard and cannot make money as taxi driver, what is stopping you from working as a Grab car or Uber driver?
Expensive to own a car? I will not even pay RM3K for a Proton Saga or Wira taxi with a million km on it.
As a Grab car driver, they can even pay for their installment for a Saga and still make money, ask any of the Grab car drivers. Too long living on Govt hand outs, charging extra and plain lazy, that’s why.
You know what… where there is conflict there is opportunity. Aside from this rivalry between traditional taxis n share-rides… they will no doubt find common ground in the near future… but someone should come out with a purpose built car design suitable for taxi use in this region… and make it into an ASEAN taxi cab project… with ASEAN we now have a bigger market… interested car manufacturers can come together and create a joint venture program and it could be assembled everywhere within ASEAN for local use… which already have the demand and it would also create work for the locals… the design should be ICONIC just like the old NY Yellow Checker Cab or the London cab. That would be awesome to own privately too.
These taxi guys still don’t get it. They’re salaries/wages are paid for by the people using their services. SPAD is not your employer!! Why complain to them? It’s like complaining to your teacher that the boy next to you doesn’t want to play with you.
Remember: If people don’t want to use your services, no amount of complaining will change that!! The customers are your boss, and you treat them like sh*t (overcharging, not using the meter, demanding all sorts of off-meter fares, cursing them, physically assaulting them). Of course you’re not going to get any money from them!!! I don’t get it, if you hate people so much, why drive a taxi????
In 10-15 years if not earlier, with the rise of autonomous cars there will be less need for human drivers either via ubers or taxis. You can cry now but wipe up your tears fast.
For stupid taxi driver, they think paying rm55 per day for proton wira is reasonable
1992 Iswara, that’s what we deserve, and worth paying to people like Datuk Samsu. I bet SPAD CEO never set foot in those disgusting Iswaras.
Yeah thats RM1650 a month. Own your own Saga for less than RM500 a month and be a Grab car driver. You actually own your own car…if only they they listen.
They just want a monopoly. nuff said.
“Propose any cars to be a taxi*, will cause the taxi industry to decline.”
this big blue guy just couldn’t take it when he couldn’t monopolize the public taxis anymore.
Now that the government says they will issue individual taxi licences (hopefully to the actual drivers who are working and not cronies) surely these middlemen taxi companies will die. Hopefully this will result in lower taxi fares which will then be able to compete properly, in terms of prices, quality of drivers, cleanliness of car, etc.
No wonder all these taxi companies are against these changes, they will lose out. Changes to benefit the consumers and the taxi driver (those who works hard), this looks like a good move.
We are already voted the worst taxi in the world.
So those taxi drivers’ arguments are invalid. SPAD can’t make the taxi industry go lower anymore, there is no lower, we are already world lowest… What image of using foreign built cars lah… all rubbish arguments.
people is want clean, safety and comfortable car not just local car or foreign car…u can janji taxi can provide these and follow meter charge? grab and uber is customer 1st than taxi driver banyak pattern…
cant wait a better equipt taxi companies emerge to serve the rakyat…
the Gov should provide more OPEN companies taxi licenses so more competitive
Thanks to that idiot Proton man who started all this mess!! Without lousy Proton models Malaysians can be more peaceful and much happier.
Anti Tun= Anti PPB= Anti taximen= Support Uber/Grab= Support SPAD= Support NajibBNGov
Those ganster drivers threaten the street should be banned life time in driving any taxis..
these persatuan/operators bising coz spad wants to end the Sistem Pajak which clearly not fair to the taxi drivers. Can u imagine u pay rm1500 per month and only get dinasour age dirty proton iswara? these persatuan/operators are clearly leeches. based on the TITP, it has plans to taking care of the welfare of the taxi drivers. good if these taxi operators companies tutup kedai. i agree with the individual permit plan. no more free lunch for people like Dr.Evil Big Blue.
My thoughts, exactly.
lets get to the bigger picture of $$$ for these persatuan
once upon a time, me want to be a taxi driver (in RM)
$5,000 for downpayment for new cab
$1,500 monthly
$18,000 per annum
$90,000 per contract (5 years)
total $$$ to be paid per contract will be $95,000.00
imagine this persatuan bought brand new saga against that amount. (can somebody confirm that the car bought to be a taxi is TAX FREE)
If u oun taksi, saga rm40 000 ,5 year may be 60 or 70 k plus u pay your oun takasi.
insuran rodtax. Maybe their profit with big risiko bad abang botak toyol driver taksi 20k for 5 years for company i am not bn or ph all faktor must ambil kira before talk.. jangan jadi accauntan piji. I hope u under standard.
All issue they highlighted are for their own benefit. Not a single issue on us as the users.
Where the problem is now?
This is how you reform a country. Start by dismantling feudalistic rent seeking practices.
During feudal times the nobles and well-connected were given land and titles. These nobles get the peasants to farm their land and get pittance in return for the backbreaking work.
Why should taxi drivers slave for the permit owning companies when they can be given permits of their own and be their own bosses?
This is how you reform a country. Start by dismantling feudalistic rent seeking practices. During feudal times the nobles and well-connected were given land and titles. These nobles get the peasants to farm their land who get pittance in return for the backbreaking work. Why should taxi drivers slave for the permit owning companies when they can be given permits of their own and be their own bosses?
Stupid taxi man. “Any country that makes their own cars uses [them as] taxis.”
Really ” katak bawah tempurung “. China use VW Jetta as taxi. VW is not China brand. Thats why they deserve to drive taxi until die.
What uber grab car get RM from driver application.10 job = 10 ringgit x30=300×12=3600x5year=18000
If taksi driver saga blm get Rm 2500 bersih monthly.kali 5 year 150k. Tolak beli kereta 70k campur 20k 5year maintanance pay ubergrab TAX 18k sum 108k. Now 150k tolak 108k=48k divide 60 bulan how much aaaa… mana ada untong, bikin kaya ubergrablancau dan mekanik saja.
Limited to only proton, make noise. Unlimit also make noise. buy lah bullock cart.