KL taxi drivers told to behave<\/p>\n
By Reme Ahmad<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Long the scourge of the hapless
\ncommuter, taxi drivers in Kuala Lumpur are being served notice by
\nthe government and the public to clean up their act.<\/p>\n
Accusations of taxi drivers overcharging, intimidating and
\nbypassing local and foreign passengers have filled the pages of
\nlocal newspapers in recent weeks, led by the New Straits Times, a
\npro-government daily.<\/p>\n
Government officials, after years of spotty enforcement, have
\nmade a series of announcements on improving services, including a
\n\"courtesy and discipline\" course for taxi drivers.<\/p>\n
In addition, drivers have been told to don \"clean and smart\"
\nclothes of white shirts and dark trousers while on the road.<\/p>\n
Road Transport Department director-general Pahamin Rajab
\nwarned that taxi drivers could lose their taxi licences in 1997
\nif they refuse to use their meters or take passengers.<\/p>\n
\"Enough is enough. We will consider a more harsh approach and
\nno longer give them warnings before taking action against them,\"
\nPahamin said.<\/p>\n
The spotlight fell on the 11,300 taxis operating in and around
\nKuala Lumpur just as the city's first of four light rail systems
\nwas launched in early December, in the midst of worsening traffic
\nconditions.<\/p>\n
The government is also scheduled to retire the inefficient
\nservices of the city's 800 pink mini-buses by January 1, 1998.
\nThe independently-run buses will be replaced by a single bus
\ncompany in the hopes of raising efficiency.<\/p>\n
Tales of taxi tyranny abound.<\/p>\n
Australian tourist Richard Old wrote to the New Straits Times
\nthat he was given various quotes from cabbies when trying to get
\nfrom his city hotel to nearby Chinatown.<\/p>\n
\"A three ringgit ($1.20) metered fare... was variously quoted
\n'off-the-meter' as five ringgit during off-peak traffic, 10
\nringgit during peak traffic hours and 20 ringgit if it happened
\nto be raining,\" he said in a letter published in October.<\/p>\n
Some people said they had opted to drive themselves in the
\ncity's traffic-clogged streets after nasty experiences with taxi
\ndrivers.<\/p>\n
\"I would rather be caught in a jam in the comfort of my car
\nthan be abused and cheated by people who have less brain than my
\npet goldfish,\" Brian Kumaran said in a letter to a local
\nnewspaper.<\/p>\n
One taxi driver asked a foreign female passenger for sex
\ninstead of a fare, the New Straits Times reported in December.<\/p>\n
To encourage taxis to take passengers into the city during the
\nbumper-to-bumper peak hours, the government in mid-December
\nraised taxi fares.<\/p>\n
But this has also raised the ire of the public who argue that
\nservices should be first improved.<\/p>\n
\"The plan (to raise fares) can be considered successful only
\nif taxi drivers stop overcharging and cheating, and take
\npassengers where they want to go, regardless of the time of day,\"
\nNew Straits Times editor Abdul Kadir Jasin said in a weekly
\ncolumn in December.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kl-taxi-drivers-told-to-behave-1447893297",
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