Najib must go beyond tired national enmities must solve Disgruntled taxi drivers problem or resign
Why have we become defeatists just because Najib has done such a brilliant job
It was a crime that offended humanity, going beyond long-standing national rivalries alongside Prime Minister Could it possibly be true? Has Najib begun to believe what some admirers have started to suggest with incremental passion, that he is Malaysia's best-ever Prime Minister? The answer must be no. He is clearly not self-delusional.Pemimpin Umno cawangan Syed Rosli Syed Harman Jamalullail berkata, Datuk Seri Najib Razak perlu berundur dari kedudukannya dalam parti serta sebagai perdana menteri agar ruang itu dapat diberikan kepada timbalannya, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
"Saya cadang timbalan perdana menteri ambil alih kedudukan Najib. Beliau lebih layak dan ini supaya dapat memberi nafas baru kepada parti,
The government has to ensure the security of the passengers. If the local taxi operator is safe enough, most passengers may not even seek out a radio cab. Or alternatively, every local cabbie can download a radio cab application on his or her mobile and can become a part of the large radio cab pool.
The scenario out there is pretty much that: any unemployed man out on the streets with a decent car can become a radio cabbie. Now, only the government, with its monopoly over violence, can vouch for the security of the passengers. The cab service providers should not even attempt to take over this function because they do not even probably know the driver or his antecedents. In a society where any document can be forged and any certificate produced, the passenger security ought to be a contract between the customer, the cabbie and the government.
Two taxi drivers associations have handed over a memorandum to the Federal Territory Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today, demanding an investigation into the Land Transport Development Authority (Spad) and applications company Uber
A radio cab is no luxury in Delhi. All it is supposed to offer is security, and the outrage over the rape of a young executive by a Uber cabbie is about the violation of this contract between the customer and the cabbie and by extension, the cab service provider.
Even as a lynch mob prepares itself to slap, prosecute and hang service providers who offer transport solutions, let us pause and ponder over public transport in our metros, particularly Delhi.
Every time we book a cab, we do it because there is no other mode of transport at that place, at that hour. And the primary option is to dial the local cab operator, who has encroached public space near the local market and has an illegal landline connection and has turned car cleaners into drivers without ever teaching them how to drive or to conduct themselves. No one, not even the man who runs this perfectly illegal “taxi service”, often with privately registered cars, can vouch for the driver’s behaviour.
Unfortunately, the government is listening to the taxi industry and ignoring the rakyat who are pleading for a safe and more reliable choice. This week, the Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD) threatened to impound Uber’s transportation partners’ vehicles even though they are fully compliant with the law. SPAD’s actions contradict their acknowledgement that “…many users are satisfied and happy with services provided by Uber”.
Malaysians have made their opinion clear. In the media, on Facebook and Twitterconsumers have been outspoken in their support for Uber. Prominent citizens, including Wan Saiful Wan Jan, CEO of Independent think tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) have spoken up as well, explicitly stating ‘Uber benefits consumers. Reform taxi services instead.’
Around the world, Uber is working with governments to achieve common goals focused on safe, reliable and efficient transportation options, that are regulated. We look forward to meeting with the government to discuss how we can work together to encourage innovation and create a safer environment for Malaysians — not protect incumbent industries from competition.Malaysians deserve better.read the fullstory here SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar waiting for rape by Uber Cab Driver
Even at the Delhi airport, unwanted intruders regularly get into prepaid cabs to give “company” to the driver. Many of the local cabbies turn up drunk, misbehave or take a circuitous route to overcharge and a fare meter is an absolute rarity in the city’s black-andyellow taxis.
So, mostly men opt for these taxis that too when they know where to go and how, in clear daylight. These are not considered safe for women and that is where these newer operators have rushed in. Their business opportunity was not in providing transport, but in making public transport by cabs safe for passengers, particularly women, at odd hours.
The passengers were essentially outsourcing their security to cabbies. If the service providers promise such security and don’t fulfill it, they are liable to offer answers. But this is an unacceptable situation because security is the function of the government and its agencies like the police and it cannot be privatised. An operator is expected to run a legal cab service with taxis with permits and drivers with proper licences.
Disgruntled taxi drivers today met with the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) in a two-hour closed-door meeting to discuss their problems. The meeting followed a five-hour protest which blocked off most of Jalan Bukit Bintang – one of KL’s busiest streets – yesterday. Bestari Taxi Drivers of KL Association (Bukit Bintang) president Mohamed Asharaf Yasin (photo) told FMT that he and his colleagues were satisfied with the discussions with SPAD officials. “It was all okay. We met with [SPAD chairman] Syed Hamid Albar,” he said, adding that the meeting took place at the SPAD’s KL Sentral headquarters. Mohamed Asharaf said nine points were raised, some of which were claimed to have adversely affected the cabbies’ incomes. In a press release, Syed Hamid listed the points as: free-to-ride GO-KL bus service; SPAD enforcement procedures during peak hours; the allegedly rough actions of SPAD enforcers against the cabbies on Oct 1; building a taxi stand at Bukit Bintang; Arab touts operating in the area; removing the RM2 taxi coupon system at KLCC and Pavilion; outstanding summonses which stop cabbies from renewing their driver cards; allowing KL cabbies to pick up passengers from KL International Airport (KLIA) and the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT); and call for a “uniform” agreement between cabbies and their companies. Syed Hamid said that SPAD would also call for a meeting with relevant government agencies and find a solution to the cabbies’ grouses. A larger strike According to Mohamed Asharaf, SPAD would speak to KL City Hall over the building of a taxi stand at Bukit Bintang. The RM2 coupon charge, he added, would also be removed. The other issues, he said, would be raised by Syed Hamid in Parliament in due time. He also said that SPAD would get back to the cabbies on the matter within two weeks to a month. “We will look at their commitment. We also hope to meet with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. “But if they don’t want to listen to us, maybe we will do something bigger. A larger strike. That’s what we can do. Yesterday was only a small thing,” he said. Meanwhile, the Metered Taxi Driver Action Group urged Syed Hamid to step down immediately. Its chairman, Amran Jan, claimed that SPAD had failed to take care of KL’s cabbies. He said that taxi drivers had suffered for many years without various benefits, including social security (Socso), insurance protection schemes and the rent-buy agreement terms slapped on their cars. Meanwhile, KL CID chief Ku Chin Wah said that the taxi drivers violated the Peaceful Assembly Act by staging their protest. He said that the cabbies not only gathered illegally, but were found to have obstructed government servants. Ku added that the police will investigate the matter furthe
The incident of sexual assault in an app-enabled unlicensed taxi late last Friday in New Delhi yet again focuses attention on the dire need for safe, secure and reliable urban public transport.
The government has promptly banned such taxi services facilitated via the internet, but going forward we need systematic overhaul of policy and oversight in urban transport.
We clearly need to better allocate resources for the purpose. And right away, what seems warranted is a routine provision by which lone passengers travelling in the late hours in the national capital territory are able to SMS a number that is straight piped to the nearest police mobile van.
It would actually make perfect sense to speed up the use of information and communication technology in public transport, as rightly called for by the High-Level Transport Development Policy Committee, chaired by Rakesh Mohan, which submitted its report earlier in March. Note that the panel did recommend that an autonomous central-level Indian Institute of Information Technology in Transportation (IIITT) be established to develop the overall framework of ICT enablement in the transport sector.
Also suggested are statutorily and financially empowered metropolitan urban transport authorities, the idea being that the latter would then be able to provide comfortable, quick and affordable urban public transport, including scheduled late-night plying of buses. The point is to duly modernise urban transport with IT and attendant systems.
The fact of the matter is that we have squarely and unmistakably neglected urban public transport for decades, although in recent years, there have been some noticeable improvement such as modern low-floor buses.
But while we augment our urban transport services, which can often be pathetic or simply non-existent, the fact of the matter is that the world over, IT has proven to be crucial for urban transport. And in the here and now, we need an institutional framework to develop and implement the standards, protocol and processes required pan-India to make urban transport safe and secure in real time.
Reports say that the urban development ministry has issued guidelines, under the national renewal mission, for installing security systems and devices in all modes of public transport, buses, taxis and autorickshaws, and further that most city authorities have been lax in implementation and follow-through.
The norms call upon state governments to bring all public transport vehicles under the GPS/GPRS network. Meanwhile, the road transport and highways ministry has reportedly asked state road transport undertakings to submit proposals on installing CCTV cameras inside buses complete with two-way communication links to control rooms.
But we do need more holistic policy design so that intelligent transport systems (ITS) suited for Indian conditions are fitted in taxis and buses, in the national capital region to begin with. The idea ought to be to massproduce the devices — which would have such features as automatic vehicle location — to bring down their costs and summarily improve security on the road with dedicated software that track and enable the police and transport authorities to promptly intervene and reduce response time in emergencies.
The mandatory installation of onboard intelligent systems should also have positive sociological implications for cab drivers by boosting cooperation. The gadgets need to have intuitive human-machine interface and be operator-friendly, with only a few icons that are relevant to the driver. Also warranted is that the intelligent devices relay information about the route, location and other relevant passenger-related information, which can then, for instance, be selectively displayed at bus stops to provide real-time schedules and timings.
The products should ease route selection, communicate warnings and issue alerts. What’s desirable is that the systems have facility for remote surveillance, a voice-calling mode and panic button.
But it does not all have to be security driven. The point also about ITS is that they can be green, environmentally-friendly and affordable devices that would automatically monitor vehicle health as well and attendant remote diagnostics, which would all rev up operating efficiency and enhance passenger convenience.
In parallel, we may need to ramp up all-women taxi fleets and standardise foolproof procedures for background checking of all drivers of public transport vehicles, but the idea of on-board ITS surely needs to be fasttracked right across the board.
more important is what we actually need to do, which is to reform our police and RTO systems. The two main changes needed there are digitization and easy retrieval of records as well as a smoothly functioning, noncorrupt and harassment-free police force. Of course, these are big asks. But until we fix this, such incidents will continue to happen. Police verifications in India, although recommended and available, are either associated with harassment or bribes. Ditto for any work related to the RTO. The processes are made so onerous that most people avoid it. This is why most people do not police-verify their domestic helps or drivers. The irony of course is a bribe can get you the verification in any case, making a mockery of the entire process. It is this loophole the perpetrator used to get his documents, which in turn earned him a job. He could have become a driver at another taxi stand or radio taxi company and done the same crime. Hence, it ain’t Uber we need to ban, but fix our own systems. There is one mistake they did and there is a lot to learn from it. And that is they relied on the government approval system to enrol a driver. A character certificate from the police and a commercial driving license as the backing documents to hire a driver may be okay in other countries. However, in India, such things are easily arranged with a modest bribe or jugaad. If Uber is serious about being world-class, relying on our jugaad approval systems is unfortunately, a big mistake. Other small private tourist taxi owners, with a fleet of a dozen cabs, keep an eye on their drivers — who is drunk, who looks a bit odd, what’s the word about him etc. Uber, by its nature as a global app that connects drivers and users, cannot do that. But that doesn’t mean Uber is not for India. We cannot let an industry stay in the unorganized sector due to bad systems, else we will never be able to scale up. We need apps like Uber quite badly to fill the gap in our transport infrastructure.
Televised crisis has become the mother of governance in India. So, after the outcry over the rape by an Uber driver in Delhi, the state is acting tough. It is getting all taxi operators to get their drivers verified by the police, for one. That is good, but not enough. This should be an opportunity to modernise the entire taxi business to benefit all stakeholders, including driver-owners not attached to any fleet operator or a cab aggregator like Uber.
For checking on the antecedents of would-be drivers, the government needs not character certificates but a centralised database of crimes and criminals tagged with their biometric data and photographs. This is missing at present.
Ideally, all those arrested or investigated for any crime should automatically be enrolled in the unique ID programme. An Aadhaar enrolment team should be a part of every police station. If a suspect proves to be innocent, he at least will have unique identity at the end of his ordeal. If he is convicted, his record will enter a nationally searchable electronic database.
License Verified Drivers
Who should do this screening, and at what stage of the driver’s employment? Right now, the police have asked all cab companies to get their drivers verified. Suppose Raju is cleared for employment at RedCabs. Will he have to be cleared again if he changes jobs and joins BlueCabs? Suppose Raju falls ill and needs a replacement at 10:30 at night. Should RedCabs first get his cousin Pappu cleared by the police before sending him off to the client?
Use GPS for Tracking…
Ideally, it should not be the employer who screens drivers. There should be a special licence for driving any public transport vehicle (PTV) and the state transport authority should screen every applicant before issuing the licence.
Cab companies will then have a pool of certified PTV drivers available to hire from, on a regular or parttime basis. Anyone with a PTV licence can then be a legitimate single-carowning entrepreneur. Right now, the question is moot as to who would obtain the clearance for the vast numbers of owner-driven cabs.
The police also want all PTVs to install a GPS instrument. This is welcome. But it entails a cost, not limited to the cost of the GPS. For the installed GPS to enhance passenger security, the cab’s progress has to be tracked remotely, using the GPS, from origin to destination.
The origin and destination information would have to be procured and used to monitor the cab’s progress, so that remedial action of alerting the police can be taken in case the GPS goes off en route. This system will cost money, too.
But there is no reason for the GPS to be used for security alone. The GPS can also be used to match a passenger’s demand for a cab with a cab’s availability. This is what radio cabs and app-based aggregators do.
A conventional, black-and-yellow cabbie who ferries a passenger from Ato B has to charge him not only for the distance travelled but also for the return, empty ride from B to base A. For a radio taxi service or a GPS tracking application that keeps getting information on passengers needing a ride while keeping tabs on the location of its cabs, it is a simple job to assign a new ride to the cab from some point close to B, so that a fare-less return from B is avoided.
This potentially lowers the cost of the ride from A to B, increases utilisation of the capital invested in the cab and enhances income.
Is there a reason why this function of tracking, one, the whereabouts of a cab, and two, people in need of a cab, should not be outsourced from specific fleets to a commonly shared utility that covers all cabs registered to operate in a city?
…Matching Riders and Cabs
If all cabs have a GPS, as has been mandated, the follow-up security measure has to be tracking facility in which software or human vigilance keeps an eye on the cab’s progress till the destination is reached. If this facility is not to be a huge additional burden on policing costs, it must be integrated into the cabs’ revenue structure as well. Some radio taxi services do all this for their own fleet. They too will benefit if it can be reliably outsourced to a common utility that realises economies of scale.
When matching customers’ demand for cab rides with the nearest available cab driven by a certified PTV driver is combined with live tracking of cabs for security, costs are shared and minimised and security taken care of.
Who will pay for this common utility? The cost can be distributed over every ride or every passenger km and recovered from the cabs on a weekly basis. Who will design the needed information management system? It is only a matter of specifying the requirements, we have no shortage of software developers.
Who should operate the utility? A private operator to be chosen by bidding. Different cities can have different utility operators and interspatial competition can incentivise cost-effective performance for renewal of the contract, once it expires.
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