PETALING JAYA: As if the threat posed by e-hailing services is not enough, taxi drivers and operators have been pushed further into the doldrums with the enforcement of the movement control order (MCO).
Almost all taxi drivers nationwide have been affected by the MCO as there are barely any customers.
Meanwhile, operators fear they could go under as they earn little to no revenue during this period. Taxi drivers’ alliance Gabungan Teksi SeMalaysia president Kamarudin Mohd Hussain said at present, up to 95% of taxi drivers nationwide have stopped driving completely.
“Many tried operating in the first week but with restrictions on movements, there are no passengers.
“To avoid further losses due to operational costs, they have no choice but to stay home. And this has gravely affected taxi drivers as most of them have no other source of income,” he told theSun yesterday.
And to make matters worse, taxi operators are still demanding that drivers pay the daily vehicle rentals as stipulated in their contracts, which cost some RM50 and above per day.
“Based on the agreement, if they fail to make payments, their rented taxis can be seized. So, once the MCO is over, if the drivers are unable to recover their losses, they face the prospect of losing their vehicles,” Kamarudin said.
The remaining few drivers who are still driving to keep afloat are struggling to cover their operating costs, he said.
Kamarudin claims that some only have one passenger a day and earn as low as RM10. According to him, there are currently over 50,000 taxi drivers across the country, although the government has said the official figure is around 30,000.
Bumiputra Taxi Operators Association president Datuk Mohd Alias Abdul said if the MCO is extended beyond April 28, up to 40% of some 100 taxi operators could go bust.
He said each operator is looking at about RM20,000 in losses a month.
“Taxi operators are on the ropes because drivers are not paying their rentals.
“On top of that, we have to bear the operational costs, which include staff salaries, office rental and utility bills,” Mohd Alias said.
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