An aerial view of the assembly from Wisma Bapa Malaysia. (File Photo)
KUCHING: Many taxi drivers here claim to be struggling in making ends meet nowadays.
They are now calling for actions from the state government to revive the industry, which appears to be taken over gradually by e-hailing services Uber and Grab, which offer cheaper fares to passengers.
Chong Foo Seng, who had been a taxi driver for 25 years, said he had never suffered a blow as hard as the present situation, where he and his counterparts could only earn RM30 to RM40 a day.
As the 50-year-old pointed out that they had been forced to bear with the 90 per cent drop in business, a fellow taxi driver concurred with him, adding: “Most of the weekends, we get zero ringgit.” Chong said many of them could not help, but wonder how long they would survive.
“It’s way easier for Uber or Grab drivers to offer cheaper rates because they do not need to go through Puspakom (Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre) inspection, which is expected of taxi operators every six months.
“It’s not just the inspection cost that we are not happy about; we have to endure the long queues at Puspakom almost all the time.
“There are simply too many vehicles waiting to be inspected – a good whole day would be gone for each inspection. Even worse, if we don’t get the inspection done on time, we would have to settle a late inspection penalty of RM300.
“Do not think that settling the penalty would cut it because you still need to get an approval letter from the JPJ (Road Transport Department) first,” he explained when met at a peaceful assembly staged by local taxi operators at the old State Legislative Assembly complex in Petra Jaya yesterday.
Taxi drivers submitted a joint letter of petition to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, appealing for help in reviving the taxi industry.
The letter was received by private secretary to chief minister Ahmad Hazlan Ismawi. Adding on, Chong said taxi operators must get the road tax renewed for each inspection.
According to him, taxi operators change their vehicles every 15 years and all vehicles must be those with 1.5cc engine capacity.
“All taxis are of standard colours, so whenever a taxi driver gets a new car, he or she has to change the colours. A body spray service can easily cost RM3,000 – not to mention the meter installation fee of RM1,000.
“Furthermore, we have to file for personal income tax as well, which I do not think Uber or Grab drivers are subject to,” he pointed out.
When asked, Chong said he believed taxi operators would not resist being transformed into Uber or Grab drivers.
Still, he said they would expect the government to come up with a win-win solution to prevent the taxi industry from being ‘wiped out’ in the future.
Asked why taxi drivers could not initiate the change themselves in meeting the current market trend, he said many of them could not afford the high costs involved.
“We are using 1.5cc (vehicles), while Uber and Grab drivers use 1.0cc vehicles which are relatively lower in operation cost. If we were to change our vehicles, some of us are still on (loan) instalments; thus, it would be harder for us to obtain approval for bank loan because of the current car loan.
“Moreover, some of our vehicles could be 10 years and above, which do not meet one of the criteria for becoming Uber or Grab drivers. But if there’s a win-win solution for us, why not?” Chong said, hoping that the government would hear the voices of the taxi drivers here and come up with a solution that would accommodate them and also the e-hailing services.