SHAH ALAM, 12 Nov: The Metered Taxi Drivers Task Force (BBPTB) has asked for the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) Chairman, Tan Sri Hamidi Albar, to stop agendas that inconvenience taxi drivers in the country.
The BBPTB Chairman, Amran Jan, said that taxis under the 1Malaysia Taxi (TEKS1M), which began operating last month, has invited a variety of questions in terms of its appearance.
He said that taxis under this programme are not like normal Budget Taxis where the permit holder’s name is displayed in the vehicle.
“Do not continue making the taxi service industry an ‘slaughterhouse’ of taxi drivers. BBPTB has been informed that the TEKS1M taxi permits actually belong to the SPAD,” said Amran.
He said that selected taxi drivers need to apply for a bank loan, supported by the SPAD, and the hire purchase for an Exora Bold is about RM800 per month for seven years.
“Drivers have to reapply for the new TEKS1M permit, and certainly for new vehicles as well.
“There is no certainty whether the Exora Bold, once the payment period is over, will become the property of the driver or the SPAD,” Amran said in a statement.
Amran said that many drivers have been offered the TEKS1M permits, which is the latest form of ‘modern slavery’, and have decided to return the TEKS1M permit offer by the SPAD.
Feedback from a number of vehicle salespeople have also advised taxi drivers to be careful with the Exora Bold because it has a high maintenance cost.
He said that drivers cannot afford to ‘preserve’ this vehicle in the long-term even though its monthly payments are cheap.
This scenario shows that taxi drivers who dream of their own permit are ‘trapped’ and ‘used’ by the SPAD to meet the repayment of vehicles, in addition to increasing the sales of the Proton produced car.
“BBPTB is worried that all the hard work and good faith will be hindered if the SPAD Chairman uses this commission for the success of partisan political success, as well as personal interests,” Amran said.
