TEKS1M Drivers Welcome Fare Reduction Announcement By SPAD

Kuala Lumpur: Taxi (TEKS1M) drivers welcomed the announcement by the Land Public Transport Comission (SPAD) that the fare rates will be reduced by year-end. The move to lower the prices of Taxi has been appreciated by the drivers themselves, according to theSun by Bernama.

A TEKS1M driver, Wong Chee Chan, 52, said the good news was long awaited by him and he hoped that it could boost public confidence towards the service. “Many consumers avoid using TEKS1M because the fares are expensive and I believe the new fares, which are lower than the current rate, will encourage them to use it," he told Bernama.

“If the rates are being standardised, consumers will have more choices and the drivers will provide the best services to them,” commented another TEKS1M driver, S. Samy Vellu Raja.

On Monday, SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar announced that the fare rates for TEKS1M would be reduced by year-end to encourage more people to use the service. He said the fare between TEKS1M and budget taxis would be standardised and would be announced in about two months.

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Another TEKS1M driver S. Samy Vellu Raja, 62, said he fully supported the action, which could create a healthy competition between the service and budget taxi service. "If the rates are being standardised, consumers will have more choices and the drivers will provide best services to them," he said.

A public transportation user, Nurul Iman Abdullah, 25, said she would be pleased if the TEKS1M fares are reduced because the fares were considered high and burdening. "I rarely use TEKS1M because it is more expensive compared to budget taxi. However, TEKS1M service is more convenient because the boot space is larger than normal taxi," she said.

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The current TEKS1M taxi prices begins at RM4 with RM0.30 added to the total for every 200 metres travelled. In addition to which, an extra RM0.30 is added on for every 36 seconds of the journey. Whereas, in a budget taxi, the prices are tagged as RM3 with RM0.25 for every 200 metres and RM0.25 for every 36 seconds.