The Penang Consumer Protection Association has hailed the Cabinet’s decision that the Land and Public Transport Commission (SPAD) should regulate the e-hailing taxi concept, allowing Uber and Grab car services to be legalised by the end of the year.

Its president, K Koris Atan, welcomed news reports that stated that amendments to the laws to allow ride-sharing are expected to be tabled during the Parliament sitting in November.

With the approval of Uber and Grab Car services, taxis would increase from the current 77,000 to 150,000.

Koris said this would herald an era of “fantastic competitiveness” for taxi drivers.

“Malaysians are happy with this development; those taking Uber and Grab Cars never complain as the drivers are professional, educated and decent people. Taxi drivers must learn from them,” he told Malaysiakini .

“I urge them (taxi drivers) to change their attitude and compete instead of fighting with Uber or Grab car drivers,” he added, referring to several such incidents involving the drivers.

Koris said Uber and Grab Cars were the new phenomenon because they operated with smart phones.

For example, during the recent Indian conference for direct marketing at Spice Arena in Penang, some 4,000 local taxis lost their business to Uber and Grab Cars as the consumers hailed the taxis by using smart phones.

“It’s very convenient. If taxi drivers compete with honesty, people will support them.

“Malaysians are not so bad but they are not so honest and consumers have been cheated. Nine out of 10 consumers have a tale to tell about their experiences with taxi drivers; even I got cheated many times,” said Koris.

He cited a case when he was charged RM50 for a ride from Puduraya to Brickfields.

The driver told him that he was charged the amount as it was during peak time, Koris said.

“When I refused to pay that much, and got out of the car, the driver reversed his taxi and nearly hit me,” Koris claimed.

“This is what happened to a senior consumer activist like me, who was nearly killed by a taxi,” he said.

According to Koris, Malaysia has one of the worst taxi systems in the world.

He has been to 65 countries and was never cheated except in Uruguay.

However, during his 35 years of using the local taxi services, he was cheated many times in Malaysia, Koris claimed.

He urged taxi drivers to be sent for proper training that would enable them to be professionals and treat their passengers with respect.

“I fought with them so many times. The attitude of taxi drives from all races is the same. If they are polite and honest and do not cheat, I do not mind paying them,” Koris said.

He urged the federal government to increase their starting fee from RM3 to RM6, but if any drivers were caught for cheating, their licences are to be terminated at once.

“Then we will become the best taxi system in the world, unlike now,” he added.

“We also urge the police to look into complaints of taxi drivers who are allegedly robbers, gangsters, cheats and rapists. Please clean up the taxi system; they cannot take the law into their own hands,” Koris said.