SEPANG, 18 May 2009: The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) has frozen the issuance of new taxi permits at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) here, effective immediately.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the move was taken following complaints from the Taxi Drivers Welfare Association on the excessive permits issued to new taxis which had caused a drop in their income.
He said the taxi drivers had lamented that with the excessive permits, they could only get three passengers a day and the income from the trips was far from enough to cover their daily expenditure.
“I have listened to their problems and decided that the issuance of the new permits should be frozen and we will maintain the number at 1,512,” he told reporters after meeting the taxi drivers, owners and public transport operators at the LCCT, here today.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Nazri also urged the CVLB to take immediate action to resolve the difference in the fares charged by the KLIA-Kuala Lumpur and LCCT-Kuala Lumpur taxis.
“I’m asking the CVLB to fix the difference to justify the LCCT-Kuala Lumpur taxi drivers who had to drive an extra 13km from the KLIA-Kuala Lumpur route,” he said.
He said the current taxi fare for KLIA-Kuala Lumpur was fixed at RM67, while the LCCT-Kuala Lumpur at RM61.
On other developments, Mohamed Nazri said he would convene a meeting with the Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to discuss the problems of touts at both the KLIA and the LCCT.
He said certain quarters had proposed that a road block be carried out at the LCCT and KLIA exits to nab the touts.
“By doing this, we can probably put an end to touts,” he said. — Bernama
