5 comments

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  eugene

  1 year ago

  The building of monorial in Penang is indefinately deferred, and yet they are talking about improving public transport system and helping the poor. Now you see it now you dont. What you hear today from them, may not be the same tomorrow.
  
  I am from Penang, i just got the feeling BN is punishing us for banishing them, never mind i will still give Guan Eng another term.
  Penang Boleh
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• 

  Pin

  1 year ago

  M only twice experience with Taxi Malaysia, one dropped me 2 km before my house, another one my friend's house near where I stay after not agreable with the fare paid.
  
  Ironically, I used to wave down cars and all of them work and we become friends - where goes wrong?
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• 

  Taxi Rider

  9 months ago

  Being a malaysian, it is sad to read the above article. However despite being disappointed and sadden by the article, i ONLY agreed partly to the massage that the taxi services in Klang Valley is not up to a standard. Only partly agreed, because while they are small portions of taxi drivers who do not follow meter and not professional, we also know that there are many taxi drivers out there who has performed their duty very professionally and reliably, with hardwork and integrity (The survey show such a results because its main samples are tourists who are more likely to encounter this type of irresponsible taxi drivers in black spot tourist attraction in KL) So please do not undermind the effort by these professional and good faith taxi drivers and operators, and we believe they are the majority. There are just some blacksheep in the markets, that everyone, including the professional taxi drivers and responsible taxi opertors alike, would like them to be "sacked" as taxi drivers and away from the industry. To put it simple, i believe, both the taxi drivers and opertors, would not want this small portion of taxi drivers in the market to tarnish their image as well.
  
  So If we had the will to "sack" those taxi drivers who are bad apples to us, why is it that they are still in the market? Like the article say, enforcemence is the key. And, it must be an effective and fair enforcemence. What happen nowadays is, when there is one bad apple driver who has caught for wrong doing, if he rented a taxi from a taxi operator, the operator gets its taxi permit cancelled! but the drivers who is in fault, will still be able to rent a taxi with another taxi operator. So the taxi operator has taken up their responsiblity to sack the "bad apple" taxi drivers and are being punished by cancellation/suspension of their permit. However, the taxi drivers - those bad apples - are still in the market to do thier same old trick to our most welcomed tourist and local public! This is not right and not fair and not effective. The root cuause of the problem is not lifted.
  
  So the key to improve it will be to have a really effective and fair enforcemence, If the authority would like to have an international standard in taxi services:
  
  Give full support to the taxi operator and taxi companies. I think the taxi operators will accept the fine/penalty to be responsible for the bad apple taxi drivers they recruited in the 1st place, but please do not cancel the permit because they are in the business to improve the taxi sevices on a long term basic and are committed. Cancellation of permit do not improve taxi services, it only cause losses to the taxi operators (after investment in the car, the infrustrature and everything, and all of a sudden without the permit, is a heavy losses to the operator and the country (they pay tax). So the authority must trust the taxi operators, they are very much in the same shoe with the authority and are committed to improve the taxi services standard and take care of the taxi drivers (those serious taxi drivers and good apple)
  
  For those repeated offender taxi drivers, cancel their public driving licence once and for all, get them out of the industry and so that they can not join other taxi operators and keep tarnishing the image of the industry and the country as a whole.
  
  So it is a relatively simple enforcement. it is part of the strategic move that We can improve the quality of the taxi services.
  
  And, not to forget that We are having the cheapest taxi meter fare in the region. So i guess if you pay peanut, you get monkey (and more easily you get those bad monkeys). The high end executive taxi is not really the key to solutions, most of the Malaysia local public simply can not afford high end taxis, they are limited room for the operators to grow and it is not fair to only offer more expensive taxi to visitors as well. They want to be charged like a local, value for money services and goods too!!! And, there are higher financial risk involve by going straight to the high end taxis to the drivers and the operators alike (more expensive cars) more so the problem is not the "car" the problem is with the "people". So we have to address the issue by looking at the need of the people - the taxi drivers (some of them is initially good apples, but they could be forced into becoming bad apples, earning not enough to make a living (the meter fair is just too low and too hard to survive. But, agreed, it is still their fault that they choose to be bad apple!!)
  
  And, We believe also that many of the individual taxi driver, who own their own cars and have their own permit, are responsible and professional taxi drivers too! so please do not also let those bad apples broken their rice bowl. And, The authority will probably have to put in more resources to deal with individuals taxi drivers than only need to deal with the taxi operators or companies as a whole. A more linear rule could probably imposed on the individual taxi driver. End of the day, the key is to cancel the public license of the taxi drivers who repeatedly play bad apple!!!
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• 

  malaysian lover

  9 months ago

  malaysian goverment already so called 'planned' to rasie the public transportation standard in malaysia a few times in their malaysia plan. but, money out, no see result...
  we citizen shoulld plan how to get them out. Dont ever use the word 'PUNISH', it's the wrong word. We make the vote, we make the choice, we know what you want to do, we are ready for it. BN dont hv to do the project if they dont want to, just keep on cleaning the drain and sampah for the time being. We can let the next goverment take the merit of projects. 50 year is long enouhg, time to take a break and relax.
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• 

  yowchuan

  9 months ago

  Taxi Rider,
  
  We just need a better government that puts the nation's interest first. Right now, authorities are busy figuring out how each of their departments can enrich their ownselves and their ring of cronies, thereby causing the problems we are seeing. Yes, I agree with you that not all taxi drivers are in the devil's league.
  
  Enforcement is a word that's often preached but not practiced. It's evident in the entire government machinery. The authorities should stop using too much lip gloss and start getting their hands dirty before Malaysia is ranked "The Worst Tourist Destination in the World".
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