13 February 2015
Rogue taxi drivers are more than just a problem for passengers. They may cause Kuala Lumpur to lose its place as one of the top four best shopping cities in the world, according to Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.
He said they continued to be a major issue with tourists as well as locals. He said their bad attitude could spoil all efforts and money spent on promoting Malaysia as a tourist destination.
“When Kuala Lumpur was ranked as the world’s fourth best shopping city by global news network CNN in 2012, we lost out to the top three because of our cab services.
“We were ahead or on par with London, Tokyo and New York on most aspects, but because our taxi service was still very bad, it dragged us down to fourth place.
“If the drivers continue with haggling and being dishonest, I fear we may lose our appeal,” he said after launching the CAB2klia app at klia2 here yesterday.
In the rating, cities were judged in four categories – getting around, value, variety and experience using a one-to-10 scale for each category.
The getting around category was related to quality of public transportation, affordability and availability of cabs.
Kuala Lumpur scored 30 points out of the possible 40.
Nazri hoped the CAB2klia initiative would minimise the damage caused by rogue taxi drivers when it starts providing service to KLIA and klia2.
“We give our fullest support towards the initiative and hope it will be available to arriving passengers within the next six months.
“I know many taxi drivers would not like this service but I think we have had enough of the rogue ones.
“After all, no one, tourist or local, wants to be cheated by people like them (rogue drivers),” he said.
CAB2klia is a dedicated app to book fixed-fare taxis from anywhere in the peninsula to KLIA and klia2.
It was developed by TaxiMonger Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Mesra Indah Jaya Sdn Bhd, the company appointed by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad to manage coupon taxis at klia2.
CAB2klia’s fleet of taxis offer fixed fares regardless of traffic conditions and routes taken by the driver.
For example, a ride in a budget taxi using CAB2klia from Taman Tun Dr Ismail to klia2 would only cost RM63.50 compared to a ride using metered taxi of a similar category which would cost between RM72 and RM80.
The app is available on several platforms including Android, iPhone and web, and payment for a ride must be made upfront by credit/debit card or online banking.
Original Source: thestar.com.my
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