KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 ― Taxi drivers will only hurt themselves if they proceed with their planned weeklong strike to protest the government’s move to regulate Uber and Grab, several public transport users said today.

In a straw poll, six people who use cabs and now the two ride-share services to move around the Klang Valley explained to Malay Mail Online how they would not be adversely affected if taxi drivers went on strike.

"I get it, taxi drivers are finding it hard trying to compete against Uber and Grab but sulking and protesting against a healthy competition is not going to bring them anywhere,” S. Thanaraj said.

The 31-year-old who professed to using Uber and Grab occasionally urged taxi drivers to evaluate and improve their services if they hoped to top the two popular ride-share services.

"There is a reason why people are slowly choosing these e-sharing services,”  the mechanical engineer said, and suggested the taxi drivers reflect on their weaknesses to improve.

"Where did they go wrong? Was it because their rates are too expensive or people are simply afraid of them because they tend to cheat their passengers? I am sure taxi drivers are aware of these,” he said.

Uber and Grab are competing firms that operate ride-sharing services in which private vehicle owners may offer transport services for hire without the permits and licences needed to operate a commercial taxi.

Last Sunday, the Malaysian Taxi Drivers' Transformation Association (Pers1m) declared its members would stage a protest for six consecutive days following news reports that Uber and Grab would be legalised this year.

However, its president Kamaruddin Mohd Hussain has yet to disclose further details on when and where the proposed strike would take place.

A banker who frequently uses Uber and Grab to commute from the LRT station to her office in the city centre said a taxi drivers’ protest would not endear passengers but would have the opposite effect.

The 29-year-old who asked to be known only as Farah told Malay Mail Online that she would only hail cabs if she was unable to get Uber or Grab.

"Just because you cannot take the heat of a competition, you strike? How does that justify your cause?

"If you stop your service in the name of protest, people are obviously going to head to your competitors and that being Uber and Grab,” she said.

Like Thanaraj, Farah said taxi drivers should reevaluate their performance to improve on their services.

Another executive who admitted to being partial to Uber said the protest by taxi drivers will not change the preference of public transport users on taxis and ride-sharing companies.

Lynda Leong, 28, said that past protests have shown that taxi drivers suffer a public backlash, with some even arrested for breaking the law when they resorted to violence to display their sentiment towards their competitors.

"Taxi drivers should not take it to the streets or break the law or even so attack Uber or Grab drivers because we are all here to make some money the right way,” she said.

Past protests by taxi drivers over Uber and Grab have ended badly, resulting in massive traffic congestion wherever they have been held.

A March 29 protest by 100 cabbies outside the Pavilion shopping centre caused a gridlock on Jalan Bukit Bintang that last two-and-a-half hours. Police arrested five cab drivers involved in the protest.

An Uber driver who spoke to Malay Mail Online on anonymity advised riders to call for the ride-sharing services outside the area of demonstration should the protest take place.

"We just want to do our job so if you need a ride from Uber or Grab, please call us from outside the protest areas as we do not want to be attacked or be the reason that triggers any unruly incidents,” he said.

Apart from complaining that drivers from these services were "stealing” their customers, the taxi industry also pointed they were unable to compete with e-hailing services because taxis are bounded by rules set by Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).

Last Thursday, the Cabinet gave SPAD the green light to regulate ride-sharing services after its CEO Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah presented plans for a revamp to the taxi industry and legalising ride-sharing.

On Saturday, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the ride-sharing services will be regulated while the traditional taxi industry will be deregulated.

Taxi drivers have complained that the drivers with the two services were competing unfairly against the former group as they did not have to adhere to the same licensing and regulatory requirement.

SPAD is scheduled to hold a press conference to announce more details on the regulation of Uber and Grab later today.

Malay Mail Online spoke to six public transport users and two Uber drivers yesterday for this report.