Tour agency to take SPAD to court

KUALA LUMPUR: A travel agency is taking the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to court for allegedly not taking appropriate action against errant taxi drivers in the city.
Awana Sutera Travel and Tours Sdn Bhd CEO, Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail said he has decided to resort to legal action after repeated complaints about errant taxi drivers fell on deaf ears.
He said the misconduct of errant taxi drivers cannot be condoned especially when it is done within the city centre and at tourist spots such as Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and Bukit Bintang.
Shamsubahrin said taxi drivers being the front liners should adhere to the law of using their fare meters.
"It gives Malaysia a bad image, especially when we want to make the country a tourist hub. Errant taxi drivers must be punished accordingly. Since SPAD has failed to do so, we decided to take it to court," he added.
He said they intend to file a case against SPAD early next month following support from some 5,000 taxi drivers.
"What is the point of spending huge sums of money to upgrade and expand your customer service facilities when there is no proper enforcement," he told reporters during a press conference at his office in Wisma Central today.
Apart from legal action, Shamsubahrin has also urged SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar to relinquish his position for failure to perform his duty, particularly in transforming the nation's taxi industry.
He warned that if Syed Hamid does not bringing changes to his management team, 5,000 taxi drivers may stage a demonstration next week at the prime minister's office grounds.