KUALA LUMPUR: The government is urging ride-hailing firms, such as Grab and Uber, to give priority to conventional taxi drivers to encourage more of them to utilise the e-hailing mobile applications.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, said that taxi drivers who have registered with e-hailing service providers have the advantage to gain more customers through the mobile application, while also being able to continue receiving customers through the traditional street hailing.
"We believe that conventional taxi drivers are more loyal in providing the taxi service. They will not leave their job or cheat as it is their main source of income," she said urging ride-hailing firms to give priority to conventional taxi drivers to attract more of them to join the e-hailing service provider.
Nancy said this after handing over approval letters for individual taxi permits and RM5,000 cash grants to over 100 successful applicants at the Platinum Sentral here. The event is part of the Taxi Industry Transformation Programme (TITP).
She said that apart from Uber and Grab, there are currently 12 other e-hailing mobile applications introduced by local companies which allow the conventional taxi drivers to be more competitive and gain more income.
"I was informed that conventional taxi drivers who have registered themselves with the e-hailing services complained that they don't even have time to stop for a meal as they received too many customers.
"We thank those companies that managed to introduce the mobile the applications to the taxi drivers. This is a very good feedback.
"I was also informed that the manners and image of the conventional taxi drivers have also improved," she said.
Nancy added that, within this year, so far a total of 908 taxi drivers who have ended their leasing contract with taxi companies have received the individual taxi permits, and from the total number, 439 received RM5,000 cash grants.