This Man Says Taxi Drivers May Resort To Robbery If Uber And GrabCar Services Continue
Taxi drivers in the country are becoming increasingly intolerant of ride-sharing services.
By Tang Ruxyn — 07 Apr 2016, 04:06 PM
Taxi drivers may resort to robbing others thanks to the rising popularity of ride-sharing services like Uber and GrabCar, a Muslim consumer group has claimed
“We are afraid that as more and more taxi drivers lose their job, they would be forced to resort to crime like robbery to survive," Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) president Datuk Nadzim Johan said.
“If the authorities do not act immediately, then the chances of that happening is very high,” Nadzim added.
themalaymailonline.com
Nadzim admitted that the root of this problem is the nature of competition, where only the stronger ones win, but he insisted that the government must not “neglect the weak”.
The PPIM president also blamed the Land and Public Transport Commission (SPAD) for failing to provide an immediate solution to resolve the ongoing dispute between the nation’s taxi drivers and the alternative service providers
Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) president Datuk Nadzim Johan
Image via Yusof Mat Isa/The Malay Mail Online"This Uber and GrabCar issue has been going on for more than a year, and we have received many complaints from taxi drivers who have had their incomes reduced," Nadzim said.
He stressed that the NGO is not taking sides on the matter but urged that SPAD take immediate action such as by introducing comprehensive regulations.
Meanwhile, Premium Big Blue Taxi founder Shamsubahrin Ismail, said that Uber and GrabCar should be made to charge customers at a higher amount
He said Uber and Grab must be placed under the executive limousine category, like what was practised in Singapore.
Shamsubahrin told FMT that if the government continued to let Uber and Grab operate freely, it would destroy the taxi industry in the country.
“If Uber and Grab are given the green light to operate with low fares, it will be akin to putting sand in the rice bowls of budget taxis in Malaysia, thus killing off the industry,” Shamsubahrin said.
Taxi drivers in the country are disgruntled as they have claimed that Uber and GrabCar are threatening their livelihood with unfair competition
A group of taxi drivers staging a protest against Uber and Grabcar in Kuala Lumpur last November.
Image via @mayuism/TwitterThe Sun Daily reported that Malaysian Taxi Drivers' Transformation Association deputy chairman Kamarudin Mohd Hussain, have warned that the taxi industry in Malaysia is dying as drivers are quitting due to their struggles of getting a stable income.
Kamarudin is urging the government to impose a total ban on ride-sharing services such as Uber and GrabCar because they are cutting into the taxi drivers' source of income.
He added that it is unfair that taxi drivers have to comply with the Road Transport Act, or risk getting their licenses suspended, while Uber or GrabCar drivers get off scot-free.