Cabbies threaten to sully govt’s reputation

They say that they will take their grouses to passengers, especially foreigners, if the government continues to ignore their problems.

KUALA LUMPUR: Taxi drivers here, it seems, have had enough of the government’s indifference towards the problems they face on a daily basis.

Several of them said that if the government failed to heed their cries for help and dialogue, they would take their grouses to the next level: their passengers, especially foreign tourists.

Metered Taxi Drivers Action Group chairman Amran Jan said: “If they don’t want to help, then we as the biggest media, will tell each passenger about [how] the government [treats us].”

He added that negative public perception, fueled by a lack of regulation and enforcement has pushed many of his collegues to the brink.

Accompanied by a few of his associates at a Bangsar restaurant, Amran said that taxi drivers have had to slog with little official help and impossible competition while taking public heat.

“The public’s perception is that taxis drivers are bad, but they never ask whether the system is bad! We have to face coupon systems, free buses, the constant issuance of permits.

“We have to earn a living, but what does the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) or the taxi companies do? Little,” he said.

Among the concerns Amran and his colleagues highlighted were the high number of taxi permits given out to companies, flooding the market with even more drivers.

They questioned SPAD’s apparent reluctance in revealing the true number of total permits issued, adding that they haven’t gotten answers till now.

He added that cabbies have raised their concerns to SPAD several times before, only to get promises of studies in return.

According to a 2011 Malay Mail report, Kuala Lumpur has about 37,000-odd taxis.

Amran claimed that his organisation, the BBPTB, represented 21 taxi associations; about 2,000 people.

Another matter raised by cabbie S Panniv was that certain tourist hotspots such as the Suria KLCC shopping centre were monopolised by taxi companies.

He said that Awana Sutera , a company which had control over waiting lanes there, charged each cabbie about RM200 a month just to pick up passengers there.

Negative media coverage

Bestari Taxi Drivers KL president Mohamed Ashraf Yasin, who helped lead the Oct 2 protest in Jalan Bukit Bintang said that constant expenses forced cabbies to overcharge passengers.

“We have to pay RM55 daily to the taxi company for the permit and the taxi. If we can’t settle it in 14 days, they tow our cabs away!”

“We don’t mind going by the meter. We don’t want to fight the government, but please, help us out here. We are Malaysians too, we have children and wives,” he said.

Mohamed said that while the public had a right to complain, he also asked Malaysians to appreciate and understand their problems before heaping blame on his colleagues.

Another thing that the cabbies bristled at was the negative media coverage that they’ve been getting in recent weeks.

One driver, Abdul Aziz Abu Bakar, hinted at the coming polls: “You spit at us! You called us ambassadors, and now you’re calling us the worst! Now, see where all the votes will go!”

One cabbie, S Manugaran, asked about the lack of legislation in enforcing the taxi industry.

He said that there were laws covering Malaysia’s teachers, doctors and even lawyers, and that a special Act was needed to cover cabbies as well.

“There are so many problems facing taxi drivers. We are humans too, why isn’t the government taking any action?” he asked.

Not everyone seemed to share their sentiments. Petekma Teksi KL deputy president Mohd Shahril Abdul Aziz said that the government felt that cabbies were complaining too much.

“These are only a few guys. If they really hated the government, why did they accept the Tayar Rakyat 1Malaysia (TR1Ma)?” he asked, referring to the taxi tyre subsidy vouchers.

“The government is on the right track, and there is good transformation from them.”

Though admitting that there was a poor public image over cabbies, Mohd Shahril added that this was due to a “few bad apples”.