The move for less Puspakon inspections have been deemed as inadequate by taxi drivers, a move that was proposed by the government to help the taxi drivers.
“Don’t try to trick us. This excuse is not good enough to get us to agree with Uber and GrabCar. This suggestion with Puspakom is just a way for them to cari jalan keluar (find a way out) with us,” according to Klang Valley Taxi Drivers’ Action Committee president Zailani Isa Usuluddin.
Earlier, SPAD proposed plans for deregulating the taxi industry, in order to place taxi drivers on a level playing field with ride-sharing services. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai also added that there could be fewer restrictions in the Public Service Vehicle License (PSV) for cabbies.
Liow further added that taxi drivers could soon be allowed to have less vehicle inspections with Puspakom, which at the moment, has to be done every six months, at a cost of RM50 each time.
Malaysian Taxi Drivers Trans-formation Association vice-president Kamaruddin Mohd Hussain added, “They were so concerned about the safety of people before. Now? After just six months, taxi tyres are bald. If they extend checks to one year, how are we going to drive safely? Do they want the image of taxis to be tarnished?”
Kamaraduddin also mentioned that SPAD’s allocation of 150,000 licenses should be prioritized to taxi drivers as they are making a living, whilst the remaining to be distributed to Uber and Grab drivers, whom he claimed as doing it as a side income.
Via: The Star
