PETALING JAYA: Nearly 60 unlicensed hired car drivers, including those using the transport app Uber, have evaded a crackdown against illegal taxis.
The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) said it would not stop until all of them were off Malaysia’s streets.
Nearly 80 vehicles have been seized since October last year, he said.
“There are only 59 now. It’s just a matter of time. We will make sure that all these illegal taxis are off the road,” said SPAD enforcement chief Datuk Che Hasni Che Ahmad.
When asked how he arrived at the number, Che Hasni said it was based on SPAD’s intelligence reports.
He added that they found 223 unlicensed hired car drivers throughout the crackdown. It is believed that many are in hiding.
He was speaking to reporters after an operation yesterday which saw six drivers nabbed and their cars seized. Of the 80 cars seized by SPAD, 52 will be forfeited.
It is understood that a majority of these drivers were using transport apps such as Uber and Grabcar to get riders.
The Star has learned that SPAD might even auction these cars, even if their drivers were paying instalments on them.
Che Hasni said some hired car companies which used their vehicles for Uber have closed because of the crackdown, although he declined to disclose their identities.
Drivers guilty of unlicensed ferrying face fines of up to RM10,000 or a maximum of one year’s jail, or both. Car companies could be fined up to RM100,000.
On another matter, Che Hasni said SPAD has caught 953 taxi drivers for not using their meters from Jan 21 until Monday.
Of this, 323 drivers were referred to SPAD’s taxi disciplinary board, while the rest would be hauled up later, he added.
