Taxi driver K Suriyamurthy starts his day promptly at 10am, from Jalan Pekeliling.

Jalan Pekeliling is among the busy locations in the city and therefore passengers are always available there, especially during peak hours. From here it is also easy to get to the heart of the city and also to Damansara or Bangsar.

The place is also a hub for public transport, with a monorail station, bus terminal and taxi terminal.

“There are plenty of passengers here. At times they have to queue up for a taxi,” the 62-year-old said.

However, things were different that particular day. The father of five had to turn down passengers after he received a phone call.

“I received a call to attend to a case in Jinjang and I have to be there as soon as possible. Cannot be late as it involves two lives,” said Suriyamurthy, who has been driving taxi for the last 30 years.

Some may assume that the ‘case involving two lives’ is linked to a murder or abduction, but Suriyamurthy is actually out for a noble cause.

He is about to rush a pregnant woman to the hospital, and the woman is a total stranger.

Help for the pregnant

Twenty minutes later he arrived at her home in Taman Beringin People’s Housing Project (PPR), in Jinjang.

The woman’s husband, Sheik Dawood Saibidin, was already waiting for his arrival.

Though the trip to Kuala Lumpur Hospital could easily earn him over RM15, Suriyamurthy did not charge for his service.

For the Sungai Buloh-born taxi driver, he was sincere in lending a helping hand and was determined to help others as long as he could.

“Besides me, there were several other taxi drivers who also arrived at Sheik Dawood’s home. They were also ready to send the couple should there be something wrong with my taxi.

“In such emergencies we need to be we well-prepared. Before this I would still be at home, but now I start my day early in case there is an emergency,” he confessed.

Suriyamurthy is among 50 taxi drivers providing free taxi services for pregnant women about to go into labour, organised by the Kuala Lumpur Makkal Communication Taxi Drivers Association (PPTMCKL).

The programme, which began on Jan 4, 2016, offers around-the-clock service for low-income earners living in the city.

‘Baasha’ the film that inspired the service

Well received, this charitable service is the brainchild of Malaysian Public Service Association president P Gunaseelan whose name is synonymous with charity work for the past 20 years.

Through the association, he was inclined to offer help after seeing first hand the difficulties faced by low-income city dwellers.

“Besides the association, my post as advisory board member at City Hall for the past three years allowed me to deal with low-income earners who live in PPR and longhouses.

“Some of them don’t have transport and cannot even afford taxi service in case of emergencies, such as when their wife is about to give birth. From there I committed myself to easing their burden,” he explained.

A Tamil 1995 film titled ‘Baasha’ stars popular actor Rajinikanth, who plays the role of Manikkam, a three-wheel taxi driver who offers free services to women who are about to give birth. The movie inspired Gunaseelan to try out something similar in Kuala Lumpur.

However, realising that he could not execute it by himself, he brought the proposition to PPTMCKL.

“They agreed and I am confident about this effort as taxis have a wide network. If there is an emergency in Cheras, there will be a taxi driver in the vicinity on the way.

“It’s fast because there are taxis everywhere in Kuala Lumpur. For example, in our first, second and third cases it only took us between 15 and 20 minutes to get to the pregnant woman’s house,” he said.

Positive feedback

Gunaseelan pointed out from Jan 4-11 nine women had used the service. Moreover, the pioneer project targeted for one year duration received overwhelming response and likely to be extended indefinitely.

“Many people like the service and commend it. Some have asked us to extend it to Selangor and other states.

“We have plans to extend the programme outside of Kuala Lumpur and are in talks with other taxi associations. If it works out we will probably implement it in neighbouring states such as Selangor and Negri Sembilan first,” he said.

When asked if the corporate social responsibility (CSR) undertaking also covered senior citizens and the disabled, he said the target group for now is pregnant women only.

“We do envision heading towards that direction, but we do not have the funds for such a undertaking. If possible, we hope the government and private sector would help out in this noble project,” he said.

Gunaseelan also reminded the public that the services were only meant for the poor and those not from from low-income households and those ineligible should not take advantage of the service.

Changing perceptions

Taxis offering these services are decked with stickers that bear ‘Perkhidmatan Teksi Percuma Untuk Bersalin’ and a photo of Rajinikanth, which PPTMCKL chairperson K Muthu hoped would also help enhance the image of taxi drivers.

“We hope the community will change their perception towards taxi drivers. We have a heart and would sacrifice our time despite the rising cost of living.

“But, we would like to help by providing this service to all races out of our goodwill,” he said.

As the first person to utilise this service, Sheik Dawood, 42, praised the the good deeds of the taxi drivers who are helping to lessen the burden of city folk.

“I knew about the service from my mother-in-law who read about it in a Tamil newspaper. I never imagined there are taxi drivers who take all the trouble to help the needy and not just only think of earning money,” he added.

His wife, Zulmizah Yahya, 35, delivered their fourth child recently with the help of the taxi service.

For those who would like to use the service, contact Muthu at 012-6957864 or Suriyamurthy (016-3029297).

- Bernama