A screen capture from the video shows one man kicking the nearside wing mirror off the car, while another man asks the passengers to get out. – Pic from Facebook, October 13, 2015.Taxi drivers have been warned not to take the law into their own hands with regards to Uber and GrabCar drivers.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Tajuddin Md Isa said drivers should lodge a police report and let them handle the matter, when commenting on a viral video of taxi drivers attacking two cars supposedly belonging to Uber and GrabCar drivers, and believed to have occurred the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) recently.
Meanwhile, Big Blue Premium Taxi adviser Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail said he did not agree with such aggressive action but could not stop them.
“Of course, we do not agree, but when people are angry, we do not know what can happen,” he said, adding that the taxi drivers should have been smarter, such as recording the incident and handing evidence over to the authorities.
He said there were about 300 taxi drivers registered to the company, which operates in the KLCC area, and that many of them complained their average income had dropped by 30% over the past two months.
Shamsubahrin claimed lack of enforcement against illegal operators by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) had caused some taxi drivers to take the law into their own hands.
He was also disappointed with the usual response of “not enough personnel” from SPAD whenever a complaint was made.
“We want to co-operate with SPAD,” he said.
Silvercab Sdn Bhd operations manager Adnan Mohamad said the company would not oppose the Uber and GrabCar services if the drivers followed established procedures.
Meanwhile, Uber has issued a statement condemning the use of intimidation and violence against its drivers and their passengers.
”The safety of our riders and drivers is our top priority. We strongly condemn the use of intimidation and violence against our driver partners, including holding our driver partners to ransom by assaulting them and damaging their cars and even intimidating and threatening riders,” said Uber general manager Leon Foong.
“Uber is committed to serving the Malaysian community by providing access to safe, reliable and affordable transport options for commuters, and prides itself on creating thousands of economic and entrepreneurship opportunities for the rakyat as driver entrepreneurs on our platform while giving cities like Kuala Lumpur more efficient and accessible urban mobility solutions.
“We are confident that the local authorities and judicial system will take note of these incidents and take immediate action against those indulging in violent and unlawful activities.
“We look forward to assisting the Malaysian authorities in building a smarter urban mobility ecosystem that embraces innovation and puts the safety and interests of Malaysian commuters and drivers first,” he said. – Bernama, October 13, 2015.
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