‘Not true taxi cards to be activated only after GE14’
KUALA LUMPUR: Taxi associations and cabbies said the 1Malaysia Taxi Asisstance Card (KBT1M) can be used at Petronas stations nationwide, and rejected claims that the card could be activated only after the 14th General Election (GE14).
Malaysian Taxi Drivers Transformation Association (PERS1M) deputy president Kamaruddin Mohd Hussain said such claims probably arose given that the cards were new and a small number of stations had yet to provide access to the facility.
“I heard these rumours, but I believe that the cards are ready for use. These stories surfaced probably because some stations have not made the access available yet.
“The same issue happened to the Tayar 1Malaysia scheme in 2013,” he said.
Malaysian Bumiputera Taxi Operators Association president Datuk Mohd Alias Abdul said several of the association’s members had started using the KBT1M.
He said the association was grateful to the government for its efforts to tackle problems faced by the cabbies given their reduced income following the arrival of e-hailing operators.
“I am grateful for the KBT1M. It goes a long way in helping taxi drivers and is not ‘candy’ for the election.
“I also hope that this aid will be expanded to taxi and car rental operators who are in dire financial situations. Many taxi drivers have returned their vehicles to the companies as they find it hard to make a living due to various factors.
“As such, many operators have lost their income by as much as 60 per cent as there are no drivers for their cabs,” he said.
Federal Territory and Selangor Taxi Operators Association president Datuk Aslah Abdullah said the operators and drivers were grateful for the help.
“It is up to them if they want to accept the cards that have been made available by the government. Don’t just complain. The RM800 card can help a great deal.”