Hundreds of taxi cab drivers are going offline for seven days as they turn off their MyTeksi mobile cab-booking apps in protest of Uber and GrabCar drivers eating into their profits.
A group of about 300 cab drivers camped out in front of the MyTeksi head offices in Jalan Kemajuan yesterday morning, calling for the suspension of the GrabCar transport-hire service and mobile application.
GrabCar is an offshoot of the MyTeksi business model, one that allows passengers to hail privately-owned cars instead of licensed taxi cabs.
The 300-od cabbies voewd to turn off their MyTeksi apps for a week, beginning yesterday, in protest against GrabCar and rival transport-hire service Uber.
Subang Jaya Taxi Drivers Association (PPTSJ) secretary Mathavan Subramaniam told The Malay Mail Online‘s Vanessa Ee-Lyn Gomes that GrabCar operates in violation of variois rules set by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).
“Taxi drivers have to undergo a health screening test before being eligible for a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence, which in turn is a prerequisite to drive a taxi,” Mathavan said.
“However, GrabCar is not subjected to this rule. Their vehicles are not inspected by Puspakom and they do not have the safety authorisation to carry passengers.
“This is a clear violation of SPAD rules, but GrabCar is still in operation.”
He also complained that GrabCar and Uber’s flat rates, which can be lower than metered taxi fares, are jeopardising professional can drivers’ livelihoods, to the point where some of them can’t even afford to pay the rent on their taxis anymore.
Malaysian Taxi Drivers’ Transformation Associatio (PERS1M) deputy chairperson Kamarudin Mohd Hussain was also a yesterday’s protest, and expressed his disappointment with MyTeksi for undercutting its own sercvice.
“We have been promoting MyTeksi and have been urging passengers to use the app to get a taxi, and now this is how they (MyTeksi) repay us,” he said.
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