KUCHING: Taxi drivers associations have been urged to unite to face their main new competitors (e-hailing services) which have the potential of becoming their nemesis.
Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youths and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said there are too many associations representing local taxi drivers.
“It is up to them whether they want to stay separated or divided, or whether they want to have one body with one strong voice,” he said when met by reporters after officiating at the launch of Visit Malaysia Campaign (VSC) car stickers at Plaza Merdeka’s taxi stand here yesterday.
Earlier, Karim, who earlier had a dialogue with the taxi drivers, noted that one of the biggest problems faced by the conventional taxi business would be the e-hailing services (for example, Grab).
However, such competition can’t be avoided as it is happening throughout the world.
“That is why I hope that the taxi associations would be more united. If you are alone it is better for you to register as a Grab driver as well as a conventional taxi driver,” he said.
He added that taxi drivers of course have higher costs as they need to be insured unlike the e-hailing services.
Having said that, he believes that there will come a time when the federal government will require the drivers of e-hailed vehicles to obtain special insurance for themselves and their passengers. And their vehicles might have to be categorised as commercial with the appropriate road tax.
“All these are up to the government. At the moment the e-hailing services are adversely affecting the regular taxi drivers,” said Karim.
When asked if the taxi drivers would adopt or adapt to the latest system similar to e-hailing services, he said it is up to them to discuss the matter among themselves as there are too many taxi associations in Kuching which is a relatively small city.
STB chairman Datuk Abdul Wahab Aziz, STB CEO Shazede Salleh and STB director Ibrahim Nordin were among those present at the launching ceremony.
