Cabbies stage ‘mobile’ protest in a convoy
THE STAR
KUALA LUMPUR: Taxi drivers took their protest against ride-sharing apps “mobile” by driving around the city centre in a convoy.
At about 4.15pm yesterday, many taxi drivers started to drive in a loop around the Platinum Sentral building in KL Sentral after policemen did not allow them to stop and gather.
They started to slow down, holding up traffic as policemen kept a close watch.
The Land Public Transport Commission’s (SPAD) headquarters is located in Platinum Sentral.
Malaysian Taxi Drivers Transformation Association deputy president Kamarudin Mohd Hussain said its members were going on a mobile protest around town.
“We’re going on holiday! If we stay in one spot, they’ll tow our cars away, so we’re driving around town,” he said.
Among the places they later drove around were the KLCC shopping area and Tabung Haji building.
On March 29, some 100 taxi drivers gathered in front of the Pavilion shopping centre along Jalan Bukit Bintang to protest against ride-hailing apps Uber and GrabCar.
Taxi drivers complained that these apps had taken away a large chunk of their potential daily income.
It is believed that SPAD may regulate these apps in the near future, a move that many taxi drivers in Malaysia oppose.
