E-hailing: Be patient, Loke pleads with taxi drivers

Transport Minister Anthony Loke has pleaded for taxi drivers to be patient while the government moves to regulate the e-hailing industry.

Loke said the government was still looking into ways to ensure a level playing field for both the taxi and e-hailing industries, and will make an announcement in the next few weeks.

“So I hope taxi drivers will be patient. We took over the government less than two months ago, but some taxi drivers are already threatening to hold demonstrations outside Parliament and so on...

“When we were in the opposition, we had met with taxi driver associations and we know the problem. We are not sitting on it... We are looking into the problem and we want to solve it.

“But let us not begin this new chapter with demonstrations and so on. I hope they can be a little patient,” he told a press conference at his ministry’s headquarters in Putrajaya today.

Loke said he hopes to make the announcement early next month and promised that he will be fair to all parties.

He stressed, however, that the government will not accede to the demands of some taxi drivers to ban the e-hailing industry outright, saying that this goes against global trends.

Instead, he said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has directed his ministry to ensure a level playing field for both taxi drivers and e-hailing services.

Loke explained that e-hailing services will be subject to regulation, and that the government is looking for ways to implement regulations passed by Parliament during the previous administration.

He added that Putrajaya would also introduce new policies for taxi drivers. -Mkini