By CY Ming
A complaint letter by an elderly couple about a rude taxi driver published in an English daily recently reminded me of a taxi ride I took from KLIA on Nov 5.
I tried to forget the unpleasant experience but am prompted to write after reading what the elderly couple had gone through at the hands of a rude taxi driver.
I bought a coupon from the taxi concessionaire inside the airport because I did not wish to use a city cab, as the driver could be tired and stinky after waiting in queue for hours in an open carpark.
The cost for the budget taxi coupon was RM84.30 to the city and the reference number was 58672156011, dated 05-Nov-16 at 3:00pm.
The taxi driver placed my suitcase in the car boot without a word or smile. He must have felt that it was his right to run the trip after having waited for his turn.
When seated, I passed him the taxi coupon and stated the destination, but he did not reply or nod in acknowledgement.
I was amazed that he chose to remain silent throughout the entire trip, which could be unnerving to first time visitors.
Luckily for me, I was returning to my home city after spending three weeks in Langkawi where I attended a master trainer programme in tourism.
The venue was a hotel in Pantai Tengah and within the vicinity, there were many pork-free Chinese restaurants patronised by foreigners and locals of all races.
The workers in these restaurants were very polite and courteous. In contrast, the airport taxi driver gave me a rude awakening upon returning to Kuala Lumpur.
Many times, he exceeded the speed limit along the Maju Expressway but what made it more dangerous was when he was texting on his phone while driving.
The radio was on throughout the trip but I was more annoyed with the trunk radio, which was turned on loud and the operator spoke incessantly and often excitedly on matters of no concern to me.
If trunk radios are installed by the airport taxi concessionaire in all their vehicles, then many passengers would have been bombarded in the same way that I was.
If so, the poor service starts with the top management, as the driver’s attitude is a reflection of the organisation’s work culture.
Also, the driver did not bother to ensure his taxi’s interior was clean, as soiled tissues were left in the sunken area of the door’s armrest.
CY Ming is an FMT reader.
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