How Taxi Drivers Intentionally Conspired Against A GrabCar Driver To Get Him Arrested

“We have started doing operations actively and caught more than seven Uber and GrabCars and we surrender them to the police for further action,” The Star reported him as saying.

He also told a press conference that 100 taxi drivers had joined in the operations to nab the illegal cab drivers.

He justified their actions, saying that SPAD had proven themselves ineffective in stopping the illegal operations as they were still looking for a way to regulate the services rather than ban them altogether.

“We are a free country, but I think you must focus on issues - if you petition to allow them that means you are petitioning for something not just Uber, but for private cars to be used as taxis. “That means you are going into a regime saying taxis don’t need a licence. What if an accident occurs? Do the people need this?,” he told reporters.

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“But if that is what the public wants, then the government will deem it appropriate to not require licences to carry passengers,

“So, if an accident or something else happens due to the demand for private vehicles, then that would be fine.

“So, before you go on with the petition, you must remember that this is a foreign company that is faced with licensing and many more problems overseas,” he told a press conference during his visit to the Awan Besar station in Ampang here today.

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It was revealed that one of the taxi drivers at the protest, Jay Rohezan, had called for Suhaimi Abdul Manaf's services using the MyTeksi/GrabCar app earlier.

When Suhaimi arrived to pick up his passenger, the taxi drivers surrounded his car and insisted that the SPAD officers arrest him.

It is considered illegal to use private registered vehicles for taxi services.

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Only after the police and building security officials managed to contain the crowd did two SPAD officers show up and announced that they would arrest the driver and take necessary action against him.

The SPAD officers then drove off in the Almera with the GrabCar driver in the backseat.

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A GrabCar spokesman said it was important to understand that consumers wanted both kinds of services, taxi and private car hire and that was the reason why GrabCar existed.

“In this region for example, regulators in Singapore and Philippines understand the market nuances and have regulatory frameworks that balance consumer protection and the flexibility needed for innovation in the public transport industry,” the spokesman said in a statement today.

The spokesman also said that multiple services provided by GrabCar had helped to ease the barriers that existed within the industry, such as the lack of available on-demand transport options during peak periods.

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“We express regret and disappointment towards the lack of concern on behalf of the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) in protecting our industry and safeguarding our economy,” said deputy chairman Kamarudin Mohd Hussain.

“Regarding the issue of GrabCar, Uber and other such services, it has always told us that [the matter] was beyond its control. It cannot do anything to protect taxi drivers.”

“We’re fine with GrabCar operating. But it has to go through legal means – the service must be operated by qualified taxi drivers; they cannot simply use personal vehicles, or those that are not permitted,” he said.

“That’s what we are not okay with. They are taking away our income, that’s the problem.”

Its enforcement head Datuk Che Hasni Che Ahmad said that with the nine, SPAD had seized 43 Uber and 89 GrabCar vehicles to date.

Che Hasni added that 145 ride-sharing cars have been nabbed by SPAD since its anti-illegal taxi operations began in October last year.

These also include cars using Blacklane and EasyTaxi.

While the Uber and GrabCar app is not illegal here, its drivers who do not have Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licenses are flouting the law.

He stressed that there's nothing wrong with a mobile app offering a ride service, “as long as it facilitates vehicles with a valid permit and the driver has a valid licence”.

“They (Uber) are trying to replace the legitimate taxis. Our market size is not big enough. Uber is a matchmaker and it utilises all kinds of cars including private vehicles. Uber is offering the kind of services that we cannot legalise,” he said.

Stating that Uber's concept has caused unhappiness among cabbies in the country, Syed Hamid said the current business concept by the controversial car-sharing app couldn't fit into the country's public transport landscape and regulations.

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