SPAD launches MeterOn mobile app to improve taxi service

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Syed Hamid (third left) with taxi drivers launching the MeterOn mobile app at Platinum Sentral, KL Sentral. — Bernama photo

KUALA LUMPUR: The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) yesterday launched the MeterOn mobile app in an effort to improve the quality of taxi service.

Its chairman, Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar, said the new mobile app, which can be installed through App Store and Google Play, would provide passengers with a more efficient platform to lodge their complaints against errant taxi drivers.

“This app is not meant to punish errant taxi drivers, but to provide better service and satisfaction to passengers and to make them feel safe during their taxi rides,” he said at a media briefing before launching the app here.

Syed Hamid said MeterOn app would cover over 50,000 licensed taxis in Peninsular Malaysia.

During the briefing, SPAD head of customer services Zachary Ismail Zee Ismail explained that the app was equipped with six key features, namely Driver Verification, Journey Tracker, Fare Estimation, Driver Rating and Meter Usage, SOS Alert and Quick Complaint.

He said the Driver Verification feature would allow passengers to authenticate a driver by entering the taxi registration number and if the taxi was registered, users could view the driver’s detailed information, including their current offences under the Land Public Transport Act 2010.

“If the taxi is driven by an unidentified individual, passengers should report immediately,” he said.

Zachary Ismail said the Journey Tracker feature, on the other hand, would help passengers to track their journey and share their location with friends and families, until they safely arrived at the destination.

They could also view the estimated fares of the journey by logging the point of origin and destination, he said, adding that the estimated fares

would be based on meter usage and only available for budget taxi, TEKSI 1Malaysia, premier and executive taxis, as well as hired cars.

In case of emergency, the SOS Alert feature will allow users to send pre-determined messages with taxi information, driver, current location and destination to their primary contact, which can be stored in the app, or make emergency calls to SPAD or the police, he said.

Via this app, users could also lodged report to SPAD if the taxi service was unsatisfactory, Zachary Ismail said, adding that the app would also complement SPAD’s existing complaint channels, including Twitter, SPAD hotline, e-mail and SMS.

He said the Driver Rating feature would allow passengers to rate the drivers on a scale of one to five, and at the same time, help SPAD to eradicate irresponsible drivers and reward the good ones. — Bernama