TAXI drivers are appealing to the Tanjung Malim District Council to reduce the rent they pay at the district bus station.
Tanjung Malim Rental Car Owners and Drivers Association chairman C. Gnanasekaran said they hoped the monthly rental could be reduced from over RM400 to about RM150, as the association and its members were facing financial difficulties.
Gnanasekaran said taxi drivers’ business had been affected since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are also facing a challenge from ehailing services and kereta sapu (private cars that illegally operate like taxis).
“Even Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris has its own ehailing app for students to be picked up at bus and train stations,” he said.
Gnanasekaran added that many association members had quit to work in other sectors.
“We used to have about 40 members in 2020, but only 12 members are active now.
Tanjung Malim Rental Car Owners and Drivers Association chairman C. Gnanasekaran.
“Members pay a monthly fee of RM25, which comes to RM300 annually.
“The fees collected go towards paying rent to the council.
“It is also used for welfare and medical benefits, to hold meetings and other expenses,” he added.
Association treasurer G. Muniandy said the association also wanted the council to put up a sign barring ehailing cars from picking up customers at the Tanjung Malim bus station.
“We also hope that action can be taken against interstate express buses that pick up passengers at the bus station, because they are not paying anything to the council,” he said.
When contacted, council president Mohd Ikram Ahmad said the amount was reasonable, given the space provided for the association’s office, parking bays and other amenities.
“We are already giving a discount as the actual amount is RM740 a month,” he said.
He added that signboards barring public vehicles, except those with permits, from parking at the bus station had been erected.
Credit: The Star : Metro Feed
