‘Un-fare’ practices of a few tainting all cabbies

OCT 20 ― The recent uproar over the taxi services in the Klang Valley has been rather intriguing, seeing as how everyone and their grandmother seemed to be jumping on the bandwagon of taxi-bashing, or should I say taxi-driver bashing (not literally, thankfully).

While I have had my fair share of encounters with rogue taxi drivers in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, I am surprised that most people seem to delight in tarring every taxi driver out there with the same brush.

Taxi drivers are like any other group of people. Whatever the group may be ― for example, football supporters, the police force, maids, teachers and even people from a particular country/continent (Nigerians/Africans come to mind here, as a friend recently pointed out in his column in The Star) ― the majority are good and fair-minded, while a minority can be arrogant, greedy and sometimes, even downright criminal.

Do not stereotype taxi drivers. Let us face the truth that the majority of taxi drivers out there are trying to earn a decent living, just like any gainfully employed person.

The hours suck, the terms of operations (on the financial side) are a big hurdle to overcome on a daily basis and it is certainly no fun trying to drive through KL/PJ traffic, with or without the rain making things worse.

Yet, most of them have only one thing on their mind, and that is to get their passenger(s) to their destination and using the meter accordingly.

Having read a few of the letters to the editors in the local English-language media over the past two weeks, I noted that a few were from taxi drivers themselves, giving their point of view on the issues at hand – refusal to use the meter, haggling over price, not wanting to go to a particular destination, rudeness and, worst of all, threatening behaviour.

 One point stuck out from among these letters and it is one I have come to understand in recent years, that is, do not ever take taxis that are queuing up in a particular location. Always hail a passing taxi. Chances are much higher that you will get one that is between passengers and will be using the meter.

The many times I have taken a taxi in KL, to go to the airport or other locations when my car was not available, I struck up a conversation with the drivers, and found them all to be congenial and very open in discussing the problems they face on a day-to-day basis. And they all used the meter, without being specifically asked to.

One of them was an acquaintance who decided to start driving a taxi, after his lorry transport business was struggling. He gave up his taxi driving stint after about eight months as the risks outweighed the benefits.

Among other things, he told me that he was threatened by a group of taxi drivers for picking up a passenger in front of the Puduraya bus terminal (he had just dropped off a passenger there, and another one got in right after).

A few days later, after dropping off another passenger at Puduraya, a few taxi drivers, whose vehicles were in a queue nearby, entered his taxi and told him never to pick up passengers in “their territory” again or face bodily harm.

The same happened to another taxi driver whom I stopped at Jalan Tun Sambanthan a few months ago. He, too, related how he was threatened when he tried to pick up a passenger near a bus stop outside the Tesco hypermarket in Puchong. Apparently, it is another famous “territory” for rogue taxis to queue up for passengers whom they intend to fleece.

I am sure the situation is no different outside a few LRT stations too, with a “syndicate” of taxis monopolising such locations with high people-traffic.

These bad hats among taxi drivers are going to get the upper hand almost all the time as the rest of the taxi drivers are just trying to go about their business peacefully and amicably, without looking for trouble. After all, being injured or harmed will affect their earnings, while still having to pay their daily rental.

Things can be better here and we do not have to go far to learn how to get it done right. I have been a regular traveller to Singapore over the past year, and I have been taking taxis on the island almost every day.

You just know that you are getting a fair deal all the time over there. There is no question of haggling or meter tampering as the relevant authority comes down hard on any sort of complaint.

To give you an example, a taxi driver in Singapore told me of a friend who had picked up an American visitor at the airport and took him to a hotel. The passenger did not have any local currency and asked if he could pay in US dollars instead, which the driver reluctantly accepted. The fare came up to about S$15. The passenger gave a US$20 bill and refused to take any change despite it being offered.

Seeing this transpire, the hotel concierge asked the passenger what had happened and the man simply explained it as being his fault for not having the right currency in hand, and the passenger left it at that. However, the concierge had noted the taxi number and filed a complaint to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), who duly investigated and subsequently suspended the taxi driver for a short period, besides issuing a fine.

Despite having reasonable grounds for leniency as there was no intention to cheat, and any excess amount received could be regarded as a tip, the LTA took the driver to task for not waiting and insisting on the correct fare being paid in Singapore dollars.

It is a simple thing called enforcement. And it is ingrained into Singaporeans that, when justified, the enforcement by the LTA is assured. That is all it takes. In the case above, all the elements were in place for action to be taken ― a legitimate complaint with all the details provided including location, time and date.

Here, I would like to add an excerpt from an article published in The Straits Times (Singapore) a few years ago: “They (LTA officers) work in pairs or threes at touting hot spots such as Clarke Quay and Boat Quay at least three times a month. Officers will pose as passengers and discreetly record the details of a cabby who offers a flat rate without using the meter. Other officers keep an eye on loitering touts.”

However, here in Malaysia, the staff at the Land Public Transport Commission (Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat, or SPAD) seem to be more intent on sitting in their comfortable offices, and acting on some random complaint pertaining to how a taxi driver had allegedly been driving “dangerously” on such-and-such a road in KL, with no proof of any sort.

This was what an “uncle” told me when I was his passenger. He said he received a letter from SPAD asking him to meet them at their office over an allegation of “dangerous driving” by a member of the public.

He said he had no time to waste going to their office as every minute counts for him, adding that a lawyer friend told him that SPAD could not take action if he did not attend the “meeting”. He could not even remember where in KL he was on the stated date and time, let alone how the traffic situation was at the time; hence, what was the point of the meeting?

So, getting back to the cohort of rogue taxis around specific locations in the Klang Valley, there is consistently zero action on the ground, despite numerous letters and specific complaints on where these rogue taxis are located.

It would seem that SPAD is no different to the previous authority responsible for the issuing of taxi permits and enforcement against taxi drivers/companies, that is, the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB).

They are there to ensure that the taxi companies’ interest are met, and maintain the status quo as to the issuing of taxi permits, and only good enough to carry out some superficial campaign on the ground with stickers stating “This is a Metered Taxi. No haggling allowed”.

I would like to suggest that there are signs posted at bus/LRT terminals and outside shopping malls, stating “SPAD at work. Rules governing taxis will be enforced”. That should deliver the message that SPAD is actually working for the benefit of the people and honest taxi drivers. Or maybe, it could just remain a sign. Who is going to check after all?

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.