Penang taxi drivers halt services for 4 hours in protest against Uber, Grabcar

GEORGE TOWN: About 200 taxi drivers gathered at The Esplanade here today as a mark of protest against Uber and GrabCar, as well as in anticipation of the cabinet's decision on the ride-sharing app.
Penang Taxi Drivers Coalition secretary Muhamad Shahimi Hadzri said he understood the cabinet would make the decision today and the taxi drivers would wait for the outcome.
He said they halted their operations from 10am to 2pm today and if the cabinet approves the Uber and GrabCar services here, they will be against it.
Shahimi said the taxi drivers would also lodge a police report at the Lebuh Pantai police station on the ride-sharing app and against former senator Tan Sri Wahid Omar who drove a Uber taxi recently.
In Kuala Lumpur, taxi drivers lodged a similar police report on the matter recently.
P. Gunasegaran, 40, who has been driving a taxi in Penang for the past 14 years, said he had lost about RM150 per day and sometimes struggled to earn a living.
Uber and GrabCar have stolen their business, he added.
Vehicals passing through The Esplanade honked at the protest group as a sign of support for the movement. — Bernama