Cabby who went amok often left his car in the line, say cops

 

The man, who is suffering from hypertension, went amok after he could not bottle up his frustration and passed out after driving into the three taxis.

KOTA KINABALU: A taxi driver who went amok and rammed his cab into three other taxis at the airport here because others were cutting the queue was known to have left his vehicle in the line and wander off.

The man, who was caught on video ramming his vehicle into others, had done so because he had enough of other drivers cutting the line, said police.

However, based on initial investigations, it was also found out that the 60-year-old driver had frequently left his vehicle in the queue while being elsewhere outside the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) compound.

It was because of this that other cabbies had to jump the queue in order to pick up passengers, said acting city police chief George Abd Rakman.

George said the suspect, who is suffering from hypertension, went amok after he could not bottle up his frustration. The man also passed out after driving into the three taxis.

“We are made to understand this was not the first time the suspect was angered after others cut in front of him.

“But it was his own doing – by leaving his car in the queue. Other cabbies had to jump the queue so passengers were not left waiting,” he said.

George said the suspect was still being kept under observation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The case is being investigated under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

No one was hurt in the incident.

Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin, meanwhile, contacted the KKIA Limousine and Taxi Association chairman Shamsuddin Mohd Shah today to learn more about the incident.

Chan said he was told that taxi drivers have been facing all kinds of stress besides the pandemic which was severely affecting their income.

“They have to face stiff competition from the e-hailing industry which makes use of new technology as its platform, and being able to offer better quality services at lower fares.

“With tourist arrivals at the airport declining for the past two years, most of these airport taxi drivers are basically waiting all day in line at the airport just to earn around RM10 a day,” he said.

Chan later distributed 180 food baskets to the airport taxi drivers. - FMT