I refer to the letter More taxis won't solve taxi industry's woes.

Moaz Yusuf Ahmad presented an impassioned defence of our taxi drivers in which today's dire state of the service is attributed to the economic of supply and demand.

By the precise same reasoning, we should accept snatch thefts and burglary as they too are driven by the basic economics of supply and demand.

Easy money is hard to obtain and in short supply, but the demand is so high that some people are willing to break the rules in order to obtain it in ways which are not permitted.

There is no difference between theft and a taxi driver not using the meter and setting his own fare above that to which he is entitled. A taxi driver who does not use the meter is guilty of fraud in that he has advertised himself as 'Taxi Bermeter' when he is in fact not.

He is guilty of obtaining a permit by deception, guilty under the Consumer Protection Act of falsely advertising prices, and of breaching the regulations which apply to him.

We do not tolerate theft and therefore we must not tolerate the current actions by taxi drivers. I firmly believe that they should be hauled up before the courts in just the same way as a thief should and face criminal charges for their actions.

I further feel it would be advantageous for the government to make a clear statement that where the meter was not used, no fare can be requested and the taxi journey is entirely free of payment, and that such a rule makes any agreement whether verbal or written void.  

Likewise, where a ticket system has been implemented, it should be required that the meter is run in addition and the passenger pays the lower of the meter or the ticket value upon arrival, in order that ticket systems are not used to inflate prices above those to which a taxi driver is entitled.

In some areas, the number of taxis not using the meter is so high it makes it very difficult for passengers to wait for a taxi which does use the meter.  

I personally spent more than half an hour hailing cabs on Petaling Street one recent Saturday before giving up and walking to another part of Kuala Lumpur to find a taxi driver using a meter.  
Rest assured that I reported all those drivers and only regret I did not have a camera to add additional evidence.

I can assure the writer that I felt threatened, disappointed and under pressure to pay the over inflated fares quoted – which were all more than double what I know the meter rate would be having taken a metered taxi to Petaling Street just an hour ago.

It is important to remember that a taxi driver has a choice whether to accept the meter rates or not.  At any time, a taxi driver who feels he is not earning a fair wage for his effort is free to quit driving a taxi and take up another job which will pay him what he feels he is worth.

When there is a shortage of people willing to be taxi drivers, then and only then is the fare structure too low. Until that day, the continued presence of taxi drivers on the road is proof absolute that the fare structure is sufficient.