The drivers say the RTD has been harassing them with summonses since January, robbing them of their hard-earned income.
The first batch of summonses, issued to eight Grab drivers, was by a plainclothes officer for picking up passengers at the Penang International Airport on Jan 1.
Following an outcry and brickbats after reports by FMT on Jan 3, the RTD appear to have changed its enforcement method.
Nearly 10 Grab drivers told FMT that the RTD are using crowd-sourced photos of e-hailing drivers picking up passengers to harass them.
Some say it is the work of airport limousine drivers who have lost out to e-hailing, while one driver claims RTD officers are permanently being stationed at the airport.
These summonses come as a shock to the drivers as the transport ministry had placed a moratorium on any enforcement action against e-hailing drivers until July this year. That is the deadline for e-hailing drivers to get their Public Service Vehicle licences and other required documents.
These drivers revealed that the RTD had sent them letters titled “temusiasat”, where the drivers are told to report to the nearest RTD office for an interview. The drivers are grilled and have their cars thoroughly inspected.
These letters claim the interview sessions are a part of Section 114(2) of the Road Transport Act 1987, where motorists are required to give information to investigating officers when required.
The letters sighted by FMT also show that their offences were typically stated as “obstruction of traffic” and “failure to obey traffic signs” under Section 79 of the same Act.
At the end of these interviews, the drivers are given two bitter options —either to pay the compound fines of RM100 for each offence or be charged in court for “misusing their road tax”, which is a common offence for those operating kereta sapu or illegal taxis.
Tawfik Bhakri, 30, is one of those affected. He was one of the first out of nearly 10 other Grab drivers to receive a compound notice from a RTD officer at the airport on Jan 1 for picking up passengers.
“I remember my first time. A plainclothes officer pulled me over and told me that I ‘tak layak’ to pick up passengers here while wagging his finger at me.”
He said after the Jan 1 compound fine, he had been further slapped with three other “temusiasat” notices, where he had paid RM100 each for each offence.
Tawfik said he was called for questioning once in January and another time this month, with these meetings taking nearly two hours each time.
He said the questioning involved confirming if he was a Grab or other e-hailing service driver. His car was also inspected.
Tawfik said the enforcement officer, while taking a look at his car, had found his front windscreen tint to be “a little dark”. The officer then told him to either remove it or be issued a summon. Tawfik removed the tint.
“I asked one of the officers a simple question. If he went to buy Grade B eggs, as he could only afford that type, but was instead offered more expensive Grade A eggs by the shopkeeper, would he buy them?
“That is the analogy for what is happening. Most can’t afford the airport limousine fares, which is about RM50 to town. Ours is less than half that,” he said.
Tan, another Grab driver who picks up passengers at the airport, told FMT that he was subject to a similar line of questioning during his “temusiasat” sessions.
“They told me to pay RM100 to RM150 in compound fines or face the consequences of having to hire a lawyer to defend me in court.
“They also said they would give evidence in the form of pictures and CCTV footage at the airport to show that I had picked up passengers.
“I was not blocking anyone or causing any nuisance to anyone. I asked them to tell me since when we were not allowed to pick up passengers at the airport. Nobody could answer.
“I just paid the RM100 and did not want to go through the trouble,” Tan said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian e-Hailing Service Drivers’ Association (Mehda) chief Daryl Chong said RTD’s victimisation of the drivers was unacceptable as the moratorium was still in effect.
He said RTD’s vague and ambiguous media statement in January saying e-hailing drivers cannot wait or solicit for passengers from airports did not make sense as these services were exclusively offered through mobile apps.
Chong said the issue appears to affect almost exclusively e-hailing drivers at the Penang airport.
He said besides the RTD issue, the drivers have no designated space to wait for customers, similar to the one at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
“All we want to ask RTD, is waiting at the airport a crime? If so, then you should be going after every other car. Is this a new law just to deter e-hailing drivers?”
Chong also advised those getting e-hailing services to only hail for a ride once they were outside the terminal, to avoid jams at the pick-up lane.