City Taxis To Be Graded Soon To Ensure Quality Services

[jeffooi]

BERNAMA.COM
November 06 , 2002 22:35PM

<FONT SIZE="+1">City Taxis To Be Graded Soon To Ensure Quality Services</FONT>

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 (Bernama) -- The Commerical Vehicle Licencing Board (CVLB) would soon grade taxis in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Penang and Johor to improve their services.

Its chairman, Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar said taxis would be graded from three to one star and some 16,000 drivers in the major cities would be given three months to improve their taxis.

"We would begin in KL first," he told reporters at the CVLB's headquarters in Medan Mara Building here.

He said the grading would be focused on services, vehicle cleanliness and other aspects which would be decided by CVLB later to improve city taxi services and their image.

The grading exercise would first begin with consortium-based drivers and later extended to individual taxis, he said.

FULL STORY:
http://www.bernama.com/B2002/news.shtml?general/ge0611_31

[CH]

That is a GOOD news. But I wonder how they going to grade them and who will be the judges? What are the criterias?

As a taxi user, are we given the chance to grade the taxi driver that we commute with?

And how about the KLIA LIMO drivers? IMHO, they need to be graded to as well. As they are the first public service that our visitors will be in touch when they step their foot in Malaysia. My experience with the taxi service, I think the city cabs service is better than the KLIA LIMO drivers, eventhough the city cabs do have some who is really bad in service. But, just compare the percentage of complaints.

City cabs pick on passangers, LIMO driver pick on passangers too. Way back when city cabs allowed to pick passangers from the airport, they let the city cab took the nearer ones - people like us stayed in USJ, Puchong, etc. and they will drive the better ones - KL, TTDI, etc. Now, they let the old airport taxi took the nearer ones and they take the more money one ... why not grade these taxi as well? Same in Premier, you go back to USJ? You take Perdana. Go to KL, sure you can get a BMW. Does not matter where is the car in the line.

But, when the cabs are graded, will it means that us as a passanger has the right to choose the cab we want? Or we have no choice but to take, if your luck is good, take the 3 star one, else, maybe no star one? If so, what is the point? Will we pay less for a taxi with a lesser star?

I will welcome the grading system, but will also want to know what is the benefit that we can see/get.

[joker2107]

read the sun valley front page today - five stars for hairbrained ideas. superb analysis.

for my humble grey matter, i can only deduce that it is the cvlb's way of ensuring employment for its staff. it will also be the smoke screen when u have a complaint - all their staff are busy grading cabs.

[jeffooi]

New questions poping up...
Who will do the grading? Who will grade the graders...


MINGGUAN MALAYSIA
Ahad, 10 November 2002

BISIK-BISIK MINGGUAN -- AWANG SULUNG
<font size="+1">MENGGREDKAN TEKSI SEPERTI HOTEL</font>

APAKAH betul langkah Lembaga Pelesenan Kenderaan Perdagangan (LPKP) mahu menggredkan teksi di Kuala Lumpur, Johor dan Pulau Pinang seperti hotel boleh membantu memperbaiki perkhidmatannya?

Mungkin ada yang menyokong tetapi Awang tidak yakin matlamatnya akan tercapai berdasar rungutan para pengguna yang masih kedengaran.

Penggredan hotel berasas kepada kemudahan yang disediakan. Kalau ada dewan konvensyen yang boleh memuat beribu orang dan ada kolam mandi, jumlah bintang yang melambang kelas atau gred akan bertambah.

Tetapi dalam konteks teksi, penguatkuasaan gred berteraskan apa? Adakah kebersihan atau jenis kenderaan hendak dijadikan ukuran?

Kalau bos syarikat besar yang tidak mahu menggunakan kenderaan sendiri, sebaliknya memilih teksi untuk ke mesyuarat, mereka mungkin memerlukan teksi jenis limo.

Tetapi sebahagian besar perkhidmatan teksi digunakan oleh orang seperti Awang, hanya memerlukan teksi biasa, tidak memilih penumpang, menggunakan meter dan lebih penting tidak memilih destinasi penumpang.

Kalau semua ciri ini masih menjadi rungutan, adakah LPKP yakin rancangan menggredkan teksi boleh memperbaiki mutu perkhidmatan?

Awang tidak yakin. Adalah lebih baik LPKP memperbaiki sikap pemandu walau dengan apa cara sekalipun sebelum melaksanakan sistem gred seperti hotel.

Sikap penting kerana ia boleh menentukan mutu perkhidmatan. Dan ia juga boleh mencorakkan gred.

FULL STORY:
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2002&dt=1110&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Rencana&pg=re_01.htm

[jeffooi]

THE STAR
Saturday, November 23, 2002

<FONT SIZE="+1">Send a postcard if you’re unhappy with taxi service</FONT>
By DEVID RAJAH

PUTRAJAYA: The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has made it easier for passengers to complain against rude taxi drivers and those who provide poor services.

The JPJ has printed 50,000 postcard-shaped complaint forms which will be placed in hotels in the Klang Valley and 14,000 stickers bearing JPJ telephone numbers for display on the vehicle’s windscreens.

Those who felt cheated or have complaints to lodge about taxi drivers can fill in their own particulars, taxi registration numbers and time and date of an alleged incident in the reply-paid cards.

“Those who don’t want to use the postcards can also call our headquarters in Kuala Lumpur or Selangor JPJ branches to voice their complaints.

“The JPJ numbers are also on the postcards and taxi drivers will also be given stickers bearing our numbers,” said the deputy JPJ enforcement director Jaafar Mohamed after giving out the cards and stickers to representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism, Malaysian Association of Hotels and Taxi and Limousine Operators Association members.

Jaafar hoped the move would further reduce the number of complaints made against taxi drivers for allegedly being rude and overcharging foreign and local passengers.

He said despite the drop in the number of complaints, JPJ would continue with its campaign to educate the public and the drivers.

Jaafar said as announced earlier, the JPJ’s database on complaints was expected to be operating next month.

He said taxi drivers with repeat offences could be identified and actions taken by JPJ and other enforcement and licensing agencies which would have access to the database.

The Malaysian Association of Hotels executive director B. Sarjit Singh said his association was also working closely with JPJ to produce a standard card system for hotel guests using taxi services.

“These cards will bear the taxi’s registration number and possibly the distance of the passenger’s intended destination, especially to popular spots,” he said.

Sarjit said the proposed card system was already in place in Bangkok and could be introduced here after minor adjustments.

“With the cards, hotels guests who call for taxi services cannot be easily cheated by drivers as the distance and expected charges would be printed on the cards,” he said.

Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Taxi and Charted Taxi Operators’ Association president Datuk Aslah Abdullah hoped the new postcards to lodge complaints would not be abused by passengers.

“JPJ should always listen to both sides of a complaint before deciding to take action against taxi drivers,” said Aslah, who received the taxi stickers on behalf of his association members.


SOURCE:
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/11/23/nation/drtaxi&sec=nation