TRANSIT notes that recently the management of Suria KLCC signed a 7-year concession agreement with Awana Sutera Sdn. Bhd. to manage the horrible congestion at the taxi stands outside the Suria KLCC shopping centre. The management service is called Taxi Services, and the website and contact information can be seen in the image below.
(TRANSIT: Check out the concessionaires set prices (which are a rip-off in their own way) here. RM28.10 for a budget taxi from KLCC to Arab Sq. in Bukit Bintang?!?!?!?!?)
Taxi drivers who wish to pick up or drop of passengers must be members with a sticker, paying an RM150 registration fee plus a monthly fee of RM150 (for Executive Taxis-possibly reduced to Rm120) or RM50 fee (for Budget Taxis). Originally the monthly fees were to be RM180/Rm100 respectively. Apparently, passengers from “non-member” taxis must pay an RM2 fee to be dropped off right at their destination.
Taxi drivers responded by staging two “sit down” protests at KLCC on 27 October and 3 November, refusing to take passengers.
(TRANSIT: We have to wonder how hard it was for the taxi drivers to protest in this manner, refusing to take passengers.)
For more information, read the following articles in the Malay Mail
- Another protest by cabbies outside KLCC
- ‘Marginal relief’ for cabbie drivers (Malay Mail);
- Cabbies protest at KLCC (Malay Mail);
TRANSIT Says:
We have to admit, we were blindsided by the news that a concession agreement was signed between KLCC Management and Awana Sutera Travel & Tours. We are also surprised that KLCC is controlling access to what are effectively public taxi stands, located off Jalan Ampang and Jalan P. Ramlee.
While we are unsure about where KLCC property ends and DBKL property begins (since there is a service road between Jalan Ampang and the taxi stands), we are quite sure that the taxi stand on Jalan P. Ramlee is located on public property as it is right on the walkway.
Although the concessionaire promises a more reliable, responsible taxi service, we cannot help but wonder if formalizing the touting behaviour by grating concessions to taxi drivers is the right way to solve the problem. The prices may be fixed and stable, but they are still over-the-top.
We have to wonder why the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board has permitted concessions instead of enforcing the rules that they are supposed to enforce.
If you have any feedback or comments on the issue of concessions / taxi coupons please share your comment in the space below.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Transit Malaysia 
7 replies on “Taxi: Will the KLCC taxi concession resolve congestion issues?”
where is SPAD?
@Ganz, SPAD has no legal authority right now, so taxi-related issues are still under the CVLB.
We really do not know what CVLB and SPAD are doing in the transition – but we expect that SPAD will be ready to go in January (“early 2011”).
Of course, since SPAD is not really talking now, we can expect that any action taken by SPAD in 2011 will be deemed as “too harsh” or “insensitive” or something else by the small bunch of media saavy, whiny taxi and bus operators who will fight to the death before following any regulations.
In general, we are happy to see some organization of taxis and a RM2 surcharge is a small price to pay for peace of mind – but we are absolutely appalled that the coupon taxi prices (in many places, not just KLCC) are so excessive.
Also, it is clear that it is happening because the CVLB is not shouldering its own responsibilities – and that is the ultimate problem.
Sincerely
Moaz for TRANSIT
That’s ridiculous. Will we have a situation similar to KL Sentral?
Pavilion recently introduced a metered taxi lane. The taxis use the meter there but charge a RM 2 levy on top of the metered price. I think it should be fair to apply the same rule in KLCC – what an embarrassment for Malaysia to have thugs flocking down to its most iconic building.
The taxi touts along Jln BB near Pavilion entrance are still here though – right next to the balai polis bergerak (which is more fixed than bergerak now…). Obviously, the policemen don’t even care and never bothered fining the taxis.
Rarely use taxi these days coz used to been bullied by the taxi touts. Hope the coupon system in KLCC works like in KLIA/LCCT
and again.. where is authority?? busy studying who to blame in genting bus accident??
1. i’ve used this service. it’s rm2 surcharge on top of the meter. i don’t know if they do it differently if your a tourist…
2. there’s no problem dropping of passengers, but as far as i can see, they don’t allow picking up w/o tag…
3. it’s good to have law and order in the klcc area. for too long, irresponsible taxi drivers making their place as their own and giving taxi service a bad name… but is this the solution? at least it’s better than no action…
[…] profiled the introduction of the taxi concessionaire in this post back in November that questioned the idea of legalizing the exorbitant prices charged by taxi […]