breaking news
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 ― A taxi driver here drove two
French tourists to Putrajaya and back, charging them RM800 for the
ride when they simply wanted to hop from the KLCC to the National
Mosque, the women have claimed.
One of the victims, identified only as Sarah and in her
30s, said they hailed the driver at the shopping mall and asked him
to take them to the mosque, one of the city’s main tourist
spots.
She then claimed that the driver, who refused to switch
on his fare meter, then took them on the detour.
After the incident around 6pm on Saturday, the two
French nationals lodged a report with the Land Public Transport
Commission (SPAD), providing the taxi's registration number and a
photo of the taxi driver. “The victim claimed the taxi driver
involved instead took them to Putrajaya first before going to the
National Mosque.
“Upon arriving at the National Mosque, the taxi driver
forced the victims to pay RM800,” a SPAD spokesman was quoted
saying by local daily Harian Metro, adding that the tourists paid
the sum out of fear.
Citing the information received, the SPAD spokesman
said the taxi driver had taken advantage of the tourists by using a
further route when the distance between KLCC and Masjid Negara was
only six kilometres.
“Spad is now tracking down the taxi driver involved for
further action. Such actions affects the country's image in the
eyes of foreign tourists,” the spokesman added.
The Harian Metro report did not specify the type of
taxis used by the two French women.
According to the taxi rate and fare schedule on SPAD's
website, the fees charged would differ based on the type of taxis
used ― budget, Teksi1Malaysia (Teks1m) and executive ― and its
estimates can be calculated either based on the time or distance
travelled.
For a budget taxi that comes with a RM3 flag fall
inclusive of the first kilometre and RM0.25 for each subsequent 200
metres travelled, the estimated cost for a six-kilometre journey
would be RM9.25.
As for Teks1m with a RM4 flag fall and RM0.30 charge
for each subsequent 200 metres, the same journey would cost an
estimated RM11.50.
The executive taxis with a RM6 flag fall and RM0.20
charge for each subsequent 100 metre travelled would mean that a
six kilometre trip costs an estimated RM16.
Even accounting for the alleged detour to Putrajaya
which could mean an estimated distance of between 69km to 78km to
get to Masjid Negara, a budget taxi's estimated fares would come up
to between RM88 and RM99.25, inclusive of flag fall.
The estimated cost using Teks1m would come up to
between RM106 and RM119.50, while for the estimated fares using
executive taxis would be between RM142 and RM160.
The alleged incident comes even as taxi services face
stiff competition from ride-sharing services Uber and Grab that
both calculate fares upfront.