The behaviour of our taxi drivers, often the subject of much criticism, has hit an all-time low with the recent attack on a Uber driver and a tourist couple at KL Sentral. Fifty cabbies allegedly took part in the ambush. They moved in when the two Iranians had got into the car. They dragged them and the driver out and proceeded to wreck the car with rocks. One of the Iranians, a woman, had to be taken to hospital.

The attackers must have shamed those of their colleagues in the trade who are trying to earn an honest living. What can they possibly say in their defence? We know that cabbies have hit hard times since their market was disrupted by ride sharing apps, but there can be no excuse for violent behaviour.

Let’s recall that a UK website, LondonCabs, last year rated Malaysian taxi drivers as the worst in the world. What could have made them earn such a dubious crown? Was it their famous insistence on not using their fare meters? Was it their preference for taking “scenic routes” when they do use the meter? To be sure, these are among the shenanigans even Malaysian passengers have long been complaining about. As a result, many have welcomed alternative services such as Uber and GrabCar.

To a significant segment of the public, the downfall of the conventional taxi industry was a long time coming and largely due to the behaviour of the drivers themselves, though there are surely many stories as well on the other side of the coin about horrible passengers.

Nonetheless, market disruption or not, and whether the taxi drivers deserve their lot or not, their reputation has gone to the pits with this latest incident. And since it involved foreigners visiting our country, our cabbies have gone and spiked any chance of repairing their image locally or abroad.

The thuggish behaviour shown by these grown men, pining for the days when using the meter was a mere suggestion and they could refuse a passenger at their whim, is proof that the taxi industry is now peopled by gangsters. How many times have we read about mobs attacking Uber and GrabCar drivers?

Yes, the cake has become smaller for our cabbies, and they are often given the short end of the stick due to the need to rent their cars from taxi agencies and to pay the taxman. But if the best solution they can think of is “Let’s terrorise the public and make them think they won’t be safe if they use Uber or GrabCar,” then they have another thing coming because chances are there are many urban Malaysians out there who will now never flag down a regular taxi again.