He said as it were, taxi drivers were already badly affected by the competition from ride-sharing apps, Uber and Grab.

“Because of the ride-sharing apps, the taxi industry has almost collapsed. Now the government has introduced low MRT fares. Where do the taxi industry and the drivers stand now?” he told FMT.

Shamsubahrin was commenting on the fare structure for the Sungai Buloh-Kajang (MRT SBK) line, which will commence operations on Dec 16.

A ride will cost commuters between RM1 and RM5.50 under the cashless fare structure, and a maximum RM6.40 under the cash fare structure.

“If MRT is charging RM1, how are the taxi drivers going to cari makan (earn a living) when the taxi metre starts at RM3.

“The industry is already badly hit with the return of 20,000 taxis. With the RM1 MRT fare, more taxi drivers will be returning their vehicles.”

Shamsubaharin urged the government to rethink the MRT fare structure as higher fares would also enable it to recoup their investments.

“It would be ok if the RM1 fare is only for the first 3 months to promote the MRT. But the trains are a new investment and they have to get back their money.”

The first phase of the MRT SBK line, which has 12 stops between Sungai Buloh and Semantan, will open on December 16. Phase two of the line covers the remaining 19 stations between Semantan and Kajang, and is scheduled to start operations next July.