The Association for the Transformation of Malaysian Taxi Drivers (Persim) said the protest was meant to show taxi drivers’ stance over new regulations for e-hailing services announced by Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
“It is for taxi drivers as a whole to express their unhappiness with the stance of Loke, who is seen as behaving the same way Barisan Nasional (BN) did in making decisions,” said Persim deputy chairman Kamarudin Mohd Hussain.
On Wednesday, Loke announced that all e-hailing services would be subject to the same regulations as taxis, including vehicle inspection and requirements for public service vehicle licences.
The new rule, he said, came into effect yesterday, with a one-year grace period for companies to comply.
But taxi drivers said the government was practising double standards in allowing e-hailing operators a year to comply with the regulations.
Kamarudin said although the decision announced by Loke was made by the BN government, Loke was “insensitive to the challenges in the taxi industry”.
“He did not hold any early discussions with representatives from taxi associations but instead retained officials from the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) which, for all this time, has been unable to bring about any reforms.
“He also relied on SPAD reports from the BN era,” he said.
Kamarudin, describing the e-hailing service as “kereta sapu” (illegal taxis), said Loke’s actions had not only caused dissatisfaction among taxi drivers, they had also allowed those who broke the law to feel entitled to dispute decisions made by the transport ministry.
“Loke should have met with us and held discussions so that any decision would have been more respected.
“We are not calling for e-hailing to be banned because we understand that the PH government will not make a decision which benefits one party and is unjust towards another.”