This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on October 15, 2015.

Ride-sharing service GrabCar has expressed concern about the safety of its drivers after some of them were harassed by taxi drivers at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) recently.

A spokesman for GrabCar said in a statement that the company was also concerned about the safety of passengers, following the unilateral action taken by taxi drivers against GrabCar drivers.

“We are concerned about the safety of our GrabCar drivers and passengers, and urge the authorities to ensure that crimes like assaults, harassment and vandalism — and any organisation that supports such disorderly behaviour — are not tolerated,” said the spokesman.

The spokesman said GrabCar is a complementary service to taxis and it is helping to grow the industry as a whole.

“We are providing an alternative option to commuters in Malaysia, who want to conveniently book transport to their destinations, and travel safely and comfortably.

“All transport operators, whether GrabCar, taxi operators or other public transport operators, should similarly strive to provide safe rides, trusted drivers and cars in good conditions for the benefits of commuters in Malaysia,” said the spokesman.

The spokesman also said GrabCar had always collaborated in a respectful manner with transport industry stakeholders to grow the industry, and improve the quality of services of both taxis and private hire vehicles.

“We will continue to support Land Public Transport Commission (Spad) CEO (chief executive officer) Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah to build a stronger transport regulatory framework that benefits both passengers and drivers, and encourages safety and innovation in Malaysia’s public transport,” said the spokesman.

The friction between taxi drivers and those offering ride-sharing services, such as from Uber and GrabCar, has been a long-standing issue. Taxi drivers claimed that Uber and GrabCar drivers had affected their income.

They also said it was unfair to allow drivers from ride-sharing services to pick up passengers as they had not been vetted and had no commercial licences.

Cabbies warned not to take law into own hands

Taxi drivers have been reminded not to take the law into their own hands regarding “illegal” Uber and GrabCar drivers.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Tajuddin Md Isa said they should instead lodge a police report to enable the long arm of the law to take the necessary action.

He said this on Sunday when asked to comment on a viral video showing taxi drivers attacking two cars allegedly belonging to Uber and GrabCar drivers, believed to have occurred recently near the KLCC.

Meanwhile, Big Blue Premium Taxi adviser Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail said he did not agree with such aggressive action but could not stop them.

“Of course, we do not agree, but when people are angry, we do not know what can happen,” he said, adding that taxi drivers should have taken smarter measures, such as recording the incident and handing it over to the authorities.

He said there are about 300 taxi drivers registered under the company, which operates in the KLCC areas, and that many of them had complained about their average income being affected by 30% over the last two months.

Elaborating further, Shamsubahrin claimed that the lack of enforcement against illegal operators by Spad had caused some taxi drivers to take the law into their own hands.

He was also disappointed with the usual response of “not enough personnel” from Spad whenever a complaint was made.

“We want to cooperate with Spad,” he said.

Silver Cab Sdn Bhd operations manager Adnan Mohamad said the company would not oppose the Uber and GrabCar services if the drivers followed established procedures.

Spad being sued by KLCC taxi service company

The Malaysian Insider reported that Awana Sutera Travel and Tours Sdn Bhd is suing Spad for RM20 million for failing in its duty to take enforcement action against illegal ride-sharing services.

Shamsubahrin, owner and adviser of the company which manages taxi services at the KLCC, said the matter would be brought to court in two weeks.

“For a few months now, we have monitored Uber and GrabCar drivers who come to the KLCC. About 20 to 30 of them wait along Jalan Ampang for passengers using the applications. Every five to 10 minutes, they will come and pick passengers up,” he said, adding that this had caused a 30% drop in income for taxi drivers.

Shamsubahrin said security personnel at the KLCC had begun stopping Uber and GrabCar drivers from entering the premises.

“Just yesterday (Sunday), we stopped seven drivers, three of whom we handed over to the Dang Wangi police. The others escaped. When we called Spad and asked for help, they said they did not have enforcement personnel for it and told us to deal with the police. What is the purpose of Spad then?” he said.

Shamsubahrin said he has no issue with Uber drivers who have car permits and commercial licences, and that it is those who operate illegally are a public safety concern.

“We urge the public to be aware that these drivers are operating illegally. If anything were to happen, there is no insurance that will cover you because these drivers are using personal vehicles,” he said.

Shamsubahrin said he filed a police report yesterday on an Uber driver they had tried to detain.

The driver escaped by smashing through the fence, hitting and injuring a security guard in the process.

“The police told us they are investigating the incident. We submitted the pictures and videos that we had. Apparently, [the] police believe the driver has a criminal record,” he said, adding that drivers of ride-sharing services are not properly vetted. — The Malaysian Insider/Bernama