Rise in ERL fares a boon to premium taxi sevices

KUALA LUMPUR: The increase in the Express Rail Link fares to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and KLIA 2 come Jan 1st will be a boon for premium taxi services.
Premium Big Blue Taxi Services adviser Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail said using their service will now be cheaper than using ERL.
"This will allow taxi drivers to earn more and it will not only be limited to premium taxis but also budget taxis.
"Our competition is no longer ERL, the price increase is a good thing for us. At RM35 one way to KLIA made it hard for us to get passengers but at RM55, it becomes expensive for people to use the service," he said.
Shamsubahrin pointed out that it will only be beneficial if three or more people use the premium taxi service as the fare will be a flat rate of about RM130 whilst for ERL it will be about RM165, adding that they could pick up passengers from any part of the city.
He said their service which currently operates at Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC ) has received a lot of enquiries since the rise of ERL ticket prices.
Citing the example of the number of trips made on Sunday to KLIA, he said it was usually around 40 trips but last Sunday it hit 80 trips because fewer and fewer people were using the train service.
He said they will also be going all out to promote their services via social media and also the newspapers to show how much cheaper it is compared to ERL, adding that all their taxis are metered and have comprehensive insurance to protect passengers.
"Uber and Grabcar are also providing services at KLIA and this goes against the law," he said, and he urged Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to carry out enforcement activities to stop them.
On the issue of SPAD taking action against taxi drivers, especially budget taxis drivers, Shamsubahrin said it was the wrong way to go about things.
"Action should be taken against permit holders because they should be responsible for their drivers. They get close to RM2,000 a month from the drivers and their cost for the taxi is about RM700.
"They (permit holders) must ensure that all their taxis are up to the mark and clean and their drivers while being respectful and disciplined also follow the law," he said.
Shamsubahrin said if a taxi driver is found flouting the law, SPAD must come down hard on the permit holder to show they would not tolerate such activities, therefore better drivers would be employed.