(Seated from third left) Razami, Muhammad Dino, Shell MDS Malaysia general manager Chris Schultz, Saifulbahry Alwie – who represented Bintulu Resident Jack Aman Luat, and Bintulu police chief Supt Zulkipli Suhaili join taxi drivers for a group photo.
BINTULU: Passengers have found that taxis in Sarawak are dirty and smelly, while the drivers are unfriendly, according to a workshop conducted by the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (LPKP) last year.
Sarawak director Razami Mohamad Jamali said the workshop was held to study the problems and challenges faced by the taxi industry due to the rise of e-hailing services.
“These are among the contributing factors that make e-hailing more attractive and has more advantages compared to taxis, and if these basic needs are not properly tackled, e-hailing will become the first choice for passengers,” Razami said at the #ShellSelamatSampai Bintulu Taxi Drivers Outreach programme yesterday.
He said thanks to positive changes made by taxi drivers, there have been no complaints from the public so far this year.
“Less complaints is good news for our taxi drivers, which is still relevant in our industry, keep up with the momentum, maintain your good image and etiquette,” he said.
On the outreach programme, he said it has also had a positive impact on the taxi industry.
“I would like to thank Shell MDS for the joint effort with the relevant agencies to promote road safety awareness. I was made to understand that today, we will have about 50 new taxi drivers attending the workshop and hopefully it will help to further improve the good image of Bintulu taxi drivers,” he said.
Razami also revealed that LPKP Sarawak is still considering a request from the Sarawak taxi association to stop e-hailing companies from operating at airports.
Bintulu District Officer Muhammad Dino Amid also called on taxi drivers to improve their level of service.
“In order to be relevant in this industry, taxi drivers must be able to master technology to compete and continuous improvement is needed,” he said.
Muhammad Dino pointed out that as Bintulu is an industrial town, it offers vast business opportunities for local businesses, including taxi drivers.
“The market is huge and what matters now is for you to improve your services,” he added.
A total of 43 taxi drivers received their certificates for completing a year-long road safety programme.
It was jointly organised with the Bintulu Resident’s Office and Bintulu Road Safety Council.
The #ShellSelamatSampai was set up in 2016 to comprehensively drive road safety awareness and behavioural change among road users.