TBS Update: More embarrassment for all

TRANSIT took note of this article in which a student claims that he was pickpocketed at Bandar Tasik Selatan komuter station, then asked by a taxi driver to pay a RM20 surcharge to travel from the new terminal to Bangsar.

As the embarrassing stories around the new terminal continue to pile up, TRANSIT wonders how much worse things are going to get!

Student forced to pay higher cab fare at new terminal (The Star)

Friday January 28, 2011
By FAZLEENA AZIZ

IT was a bad day for Universiti Malaya (UM) student Sean Ong, 21, on Jan 23 when he became a victim of pickpocket at the Bandar Tasik Selatan commuter station and then having to haggle with a taxi driver who wanted more money on top of the meter charge at the Integrated Transportation Terminal in Bandar Tasik Selatan (ITT-BTS).

Upon arrival at the station at 9am, Ong found the terminal to be deserted and made a report at the police beat base and headed to the taxi stand.

“A taxi driver additional RM20 on top of the meter charge to go to Bangsar. Normally it will only cost RM15,” he said.

[TRANSIT: He should have gone back up to the beat base and filed another police report. Then he should have turned to the next counter and filed a report with the CVLB/SPAD – oh wait, they have no presence at the terminal!]

Ong was also puzzled that despite having more workers than passengers, the terminal operators had not deployed security personnel in the taxi area which was poorly lit.

A check by StarMetro revealed that taxi drivers charged a flat rate or used the meter from the station to KL Sentral.

The drivers claimed business was bad because people were not coming to the terminal.

Maju Holdings corporate communications manager Badrul Izhan Yeop Abdullah was surprised with the taxi drivers’ attitude of imposing a surcharge.

[TRANSIT: Surprise? Really? Clearly this company has no experience dealing with taxi drivers.]

“We want passengers to have a good experience when they come to our terminal.

“Although we do not control the taxi operators, we will definitely look into this matter and forward the complaints to the relevant authorities,” he said.

He added that officers were scheduled to monitor the bridge as well as the taxi areas.

“The area is well lit to ensure safety all around,” he said.

TRANSIT Says:

The embarrassment that is Terminal Bersepadu Selatan continues to grow, inflicting more and more problems.

As TRANSIT has said for many years, “ulat” of various kinds flourish when authorities are not present to prevent their actions – and when the public does not stand up for their rights.

At the very least, TRANSIT expects that the CVLB which is demanding the bus operators to shift to the new terminal, would have a desk where the public can lodge complaints about taxis, bus service etc.

And if the CVLB, DBKL, SPAD and the police do not have a presence, then the touts and the “ulat” taxi drivers will establish themselves quickly – once established, they will be impossible to remove.

TRANSIT calls on the government to take action before it is too late.