Malaysia: Third Rate Taxi Service

A Minister likened Malaysian taxi drivers to have "toilet" mentality. According to him their taxis are equally dirty! Think he is being cheeky and antagonistic?

No, third parties have bailed him out.

Complaints about taxis are so rife that they spawn dedicated threads on expatriate forums. As many Malaysians drive their own cars, expatriates and tourists are among the most frequent taxi users in the country.

In a survey published last year by local magazine The Expat, some 200 foreigners from 30 nations rated Malaysia the worst among 23 countries in terms of taxi quality, courtesy, availability and expertise.

They labelled Malaysian cabbies, among other things, “a national disgrace”, “extortionists” and “a serious threat to tourists”.

On Aug 1 this year, a long-awaited taxi fare hike was introduced, in the hope of improving services.

Under the new rules, the flag-down rate is RM3 instead of RM2. More significantly, the meter jumps more quickly when cabs stop moving, which is a common occurrence in Kuala Lumpur, given the heavy traffic.

The fare adjustment would have increased cabbies' income by about 30 per cent, and it did ease some problems, according to feedback from regular taxi users — but not enough.

The Expat magazine's group editor, Douglas Williams, told The Straits Times that one major bugbear continues to plague the industry — taxi touts still prowl the usual tourist spots.

Among the problem areas: the popular Suria KLCC shopping complex located at the iconic Petronas Twin Towers; the shopping belt along Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur's equivalent of Singapore's Orchard Road; and the long-distance bus interchange at downtown Puduraya.

At Suria KLCC, a prominent sign placed at the entrance of the mall urges shoppers not to accept taxi rides from touts. Yet, barely 50m away, touts continue to ply their trade every day, grabbing any tourist who emerges from the mall. So where are the Commercial Vehicle Licensing boys? They must surely be deaf until the KLCC authorities have to put up such a 'sad reflection' of a sign!

Touts could be fined RM300 and lose their taxi licence, but they continue to flout the law. It is easy to see why they are prepared to take the risk.

Williams, 40, said he is charged anything from two to five times the metered fare whenever he takes taxis from tourist spots — which significantly outstrips the 30 per cent fare increase following the adjustment in August.

“Meeting a bad taxi driver leaves tourists with a poor first impression,” said the Scot, who moved to Malaysia 1½ years ago.

“Taxis in any halfway-developed city really should go by the meter all the time.”

Indeed, with expats now ensconced in many other Asian cities, Kuala Lumpur's taxis are increasingly being measured against higher benchmarks. Thailand and China are just two of the countries that are said to have more reliable cab services.

Another common grouse from foreigners is that Malaysian taxis are dirty and old. In addition, foreigners say grievances are seldom redressed by the authorities.

However, those in the industry say errant drivers form only a small proportion of all cabbies.

Aslah Abdullah, president of the Federal Territory and Selangor Taxi Operators Association, said many cabbies had started using the meter since the fee hike — a trend also noted by regular taxi commuters that The Straits Times spoke to.

What Aslah feels is lacking is adequate enforcement of the rules.

Government agencies such as the Road Transport Department and Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board are responsible for keeping errant cabbies in check, but effective policing is needed.

The most common reason given by the authorities for the lax policing? A lack of manpower. Until that problem is settled, errant drivers will continue to pose a problem, said Aslah.

So where are the police? As usual, this is a rhetoric question!