Zai Hairi
Mohd Sutiadi Hamsawi
Haffiz Hadran
KUCHING: Taxi associations should shift to technology to ensure that its members, the taxi drivers, would be able to compete with e-hailing services such as Grabcar and Uber, according to a public poll.
Local resident Mohd Sutiadi Hamsawi said consumers in general had shifted to using e-hailing services and liking them, in that there ‘is no way that they would revert to the conventional way of waiting by the roadside for cabs or going to a taxi station’.
“Whatever changes made in terms of policy to give advantage to the taxi system, the public would still opt for the e-hailing system, which has proven to be an easier option. At the same time, these e-hailing companies offer competitive pricing too.
“I personally think that it is a better option – time-saving and less hassle,” he told The Borneo Post.
For Gabriel Lim, taxi owners and associations must wake up to reality and not rely solely on government’s assistance.
“Do not blame the e-hailing companies; reflect on yourselves and look at ways to improve.
“There are companies that develop such apps; why not invest into one to improve your service?” he remarked, stressing that taxi operators should adapt to changes, instead of ‘fighting to kill’ their competitors just because they could not cope with the competition.
Stating his opinion, Zai Hairi Abdul Rahman believed that the government could step in to help taxi drivers by relaxing some regulations and providing easier access for them to operate.
“By doing so, they (taxi drivers) can offer cheaper rates and improve their vehicles too,” he said.
Zai Hairi also pointed that the current situation should serve as a lesson for taxi owners to improve their service and change for the better, instead of ‘playing the blame game’.
Frequent e-hailing service user Haffiz Hadran also reiterated the earlier point about current consumers not going back to using the conventional taxi service, adding that the e-hailing app had ‘taken Malaysia by storm’.
“The app is easy to understand, (the fares are) cheaper and details of the drivers are available – there is a rating system, too. This gives a sense of confidence to the users, who also get to enjoy good offers such as promo codes, which can attract even more users,” he said.
In her opinion, Affila Othman said the taxi operators should not resort to staging demonstration and urging the government to ban e-hailing services; instead, they should formulate solutions to regain public trust.
“They should come up with their own apps too, refurbish the taxis, improve their attitudes and offer cheaper and better services. The solution is visible – it is just awaiting the efforts,” she said.