SIBU: Hard pressed taxi owners in the state are anxiously awaiting the outcome of their proposal to have the same fare as their counterparts in Sabah.
Kuching Division Taxi Association chairman Lai Wei Hieng said they hoped to receive news on their proposal in a few weeks.
“Initially, we expected to receive some development about our proposal from the state Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) around Christmas time.
“But to date, we have yet to hear from them. Perhaps, they could have been very busy of late,” Lai told The Borneo Post over the phone yesterday when asked about the outcome of their proposal.
Nonetheless, Lai asserted that they would be following up on the matter with the authorities concerned next week.
He said like Kuching, taxi owners in Sibu, Bintulu and Miri were all getting short-distance customers.
As such, the Sabah tariffs which charge RM10 for the first 3km, followed by 12 sen for every 100m would be more ideal given the
short distance they (passengers) travelled, he stressed.
In early September last year, Road Transport Department (JPJ) director-general Datuk Solah Mat Hassan reportedly said action would be taken against taxi owners, who did not re-calibrate their taxi meters by Oct 31.
Lai added that they had earlier written to CVLB, requesting the authority to write to the relevant government agencies such as Puspakom and JPJ to ask for extension.
The chairman said among other things, the extension was to request the authorities concerned not to compound them for utilising the old rate after the deadline, which expired on Oct 31 last year.
Meanwhile, chairman of Sibu Taxi Owners’ Association Yu Ching Liing when contacted yesterday confirmed that they had yet to receive any feedback from the authorities pertaining to the proposal.
As such, they were still using the old rate, Yu said.
To a question, he said taxi operators currently charged their passengers RM8 and the additional amount would be based on thedistance travelled.
Asked about the re-calibration of taxi meters, Lai said they would do it once their proposed tariff had been approved.
“Otherwise, we will have to do it more than once.
“And for the record, it costs us on average about RM100 to tune the meter,” he explained.