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Monday November 30, 2009

'No receipt, no permit' warning to taxi drivers


KOTA TINGGI: Starting next year, taxi drivers who fail to issue receipts to their passengers will face stern action by the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board.

CVLB chairman Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique said the action would include withdrawing their permits.

There are some 31,000 taxi drivers in the country.

“We want all taxi drivers to follow the law as there have been so many complaints from the public about taxi drivers charging fares not according to the stipulated rates, but as they please,” she told reporters after handing over korban meat to recipients in the Tenggara parliamentary constituency at the Sungai Sibol Felda scheme here yesterday.

She said the move was to improve public transport services, particularly taxi service.

“Taxi drivers often had a negative image, especially among foreign tourists,” she added.

Halimah said the Government had increased the taxi fare in August, so the claim that the fare was still low was no longer an excuse.

Passengers now pay RM3 instead of RM2 for the first kilometre and an additional 50% for rides between midnight and 6am.

An extra RM2 is charged to call for a taxi service.

To date, 90% of the taxi drivers nationwide have calibrated their meters according to the new fare and installed a printer to issue receipts.

The CVLB has set Dec 31 as the deadline to comply with the new regulation, failing which the taxi drivers will not be allowed to operate.

However, 1,260 taxi drivers in Penang have been given until June 30 next year to calibrate their meters and to install the fare printer as the gadget can cost as much as RM350. — Bernama

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