Cabbies initiate donation drive to battle SPAD

PETALING JAYA: Taxi drivers have launched a donation drive to help prolong their legal battle against the ride-sharing app services.

They are appealing to cabbies nationwide especially in Klang Valley to raise RM7,000 to file an appeal at the Appellate Court against Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) before Oct 25.

Last month, the High Court had dismissed a suit by 102 cabbies against SPAD over Uber, Grab and Blacklance activities and operations.

The cabbies are determined to resume the litigation warpath against SPAD despite the High Court Judge Datuk Su Geok Yiam's ruling that the plaintiff should have filed the suit through a judicial review.

In addition, Su also pointed out that Uber, Grabcar and Blacklane were not named in the lawsuit together with SPAD.

Klang Valley Taxi Drivers' Action Committee president Zailani Isa Usuludin said the decision was made four days ago by the committee to seek contribution due to lack of fund.

“We have been ordered by the High Court to pay RM5,000 to SPAD as cost after our suit was struck out last month and also we require RM2,000 as legal fees for our appeal process,” he told theSun.

Zailani said the committee, which represents about 3,000 taxi drivers, would stop at nothing to drag SPAD in court and seek declaration to ban Uber, Grab and Blacklane activities and operation nationwide, even though the commission is set to table a law amendment to regulate e-hailing services in Parliament next month.

On Dec 30 last year, taxi drivers had filed the civil suit against SPAD by claiming that the commission did not carry out its duty to halt Uber, Grab and Blacklane illegal services and stated that the ride-sharing app services were given priority by the defendant while the cabbies' rights and interest were side-lined and ignored.