PETALING JAYA: A taxi drivers’ association has asked the government to consider giving a special grant of RM1,000 to 40,000 registered taxi and car rental drivers nationwide.
Gabungan Teksi SeMalaysia (GTSM) president Kamarudin Hussain said the request was submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today.
It was received by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s political secretary, Ahmad Farhan Fauzi.
Kamarudin said the movement control order (MCO) throughout the Covid-19 pandemic had severely impacted the livelihood of the taxi drivers.
“Until today, it continues to affect us financially,” he said in a statement. “The rising cost of living has also affected us significantly.”
Additionally, he said, the difference in fare and commission rates between taxis and e-hailing services has resulted in taxi drivers losing up to 75% of their income.
This is because companies tend to direct all passenger bookings to e-hailing vehicles since they are able to earn a 20% commission, compared with 10% from taxis.
“We have lost our source of income because we are unable to compete fairly,” he said.
He hoped the association’s request could be included in the government’s Budget 2024.