TAXIS and tourists, they are like the participants in a three-legged race. I am acutely aware that many of us have been sucked into the cyber realm and the only games we play are virtual ones. So perhaps I need to explain what is this arcane and archaic (at least to some) game.
Remember those days when outdoor sports activities were as important as after school tuition classes? Every year we would have Sports Day when every student was slotted to take part. Since not all of us were remotely Olympic material, the school designed such games as egg and spoon, threading the needle, wheelbarrow and the aforementioned three-legged race to level the playing field. So those of us, who were not exactly athletic, could with cunning, guile and strategy have a shot at the medals. In the three-legged race, two team mates would have their left and right legs strapped together. Thus, they would be running with three legs as opposed to four.
Now to explain the analogy: tourists and taxis are like the partners in the race. They need each other and it is best if they work together. However, in the race, sometimes the racers would pull in different directions and to different rhythms. That’s how I feel about Kuala Lumpur taxis and tourists. They definitely need each other. However, in the pursuit of their respective self-interests, they tend to pull to different directions: the tourists looking for the best bargain and the taxi drivers (I must add at this point, just some) trying to rip off the former.
Recently, there was a survey conducted by a travel advisory agency. It placed Kuala Lumpur at the top of the list of the most errant taxi drivers in the world. It published: “Drivers from Kuala Lumpur are well known for overcharging clients and detouring. Even though they are supposed to charge by the meter, many drivers refuse to doing so. The best advice is to simply wait for another vehicle if the driver resists from using the taximeter.”
An intrepid journalist from one of the national dailies put that to the test by going undercover, masquerading as a tourist. Sad to say her report seems to confirm that our taxi drivers hold the dubious honour of being the worst in the world. She spent the day testing out as many as 11 taxis. The score was 10 to 1. That’s 10 for bad guys and 1 for the good.
“The cabbies I encountered may not have been as nasty and rude as they have been made out to be. But when it comes to refusing to use the meter and fleecing the passenger, it seems all too sadly true,” wrote the journalist.
However, my recent experience in Kuala Lumpur did not quite match hers. Altogether I used taxis five times including a to-and-fro trip. I bought a coupon from the taxi counter for the ‘to’ and used a metered taxi for the ‘fro’. I am happy to report that the difference was only RM2. The extra was for the counter. I also had an interesting encounter with the ‘refused to use the meter’ syndrome. I was somewhere at the outer edge of the capital. I spotted a rank of taxis outside a hotel.
“Can you take me to Times Square in Jalan Imbi?” I said to the first one in the line.
“RM50,” he replied curtly.
“What’s wrong with your meter?” I asked, having spotted the sign ‘This is a metered taxi …’ painted on the side of his vehicle.
“RM50,” he repeated.
Disgusted, I walked over to the main road and caught a passing taxi. He ran his meter. Now this was the irony. My fare (according to the meter) was RM53! Did I feel silly? No. People are not bothered about paying the legitimate fare. After all, Malaysian taxi fares are among the lowest in the world. But no one wants to be cheated or feel to have been cheated.
The more disturbing thing about the difference between my experience and that of the journalist is this. According to her, she looked every bit the Mat Salleh, being of British-Malaysian Chinese parentage and with a backpack slung over her shoulders and a camera around her neck. I, on the other hand, tried to carry myself and speak as a typical Malaysian. So, the errant taxi drivers are selective in choosing their prey – the foreign tourists.
Recently, our Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen urged Malaysians to work harder to improve the nation’s ranking in the friendliest countries in the world list. She said Malaysia was ranked 10th on Forbes Online’s World’s Friendliest Countries this year. Obviously, our minister is not one who is content with resting on her laurels. And we applaud her for that. However, I believe she is barking up the wrong tree in asking Malaysians generally to buck up in the hospitality department.
Just think of it, our front-liners (yes, taxi drivers are our front-liners) are being labelled as the worst in the world. Yet, we as a nation still managed to climb up to be among the top 10 friendliest countries in the world. Obviously our figure is spoilt by the taxi drivers. I must add that not all taxi drivers are bad apples. I believe the bad ones are in the minority. So all the government needs to do is focus on making sure that this recalcitrant lot stick to the straight and narrow.
The taxi drivers are our de facto ambassadors. Their attitude and demeanour can affect the tone of the experience of our visitors. Though some short-sighted taxi drivers and tourists may think that their respective interests are at variance, they really do need each other. An encounter with a friendly and professional driver can go a long way in making the visitors’ stay in our country a pleasant one. Their word of mouth recommendation will certainly help to make Malaysia a choice destination. Like the partners in a three-legged race, it is in their interest to walk in sync and in unison.