KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 ― Uber has yet to initiate contact, Malaysia's Road Transport Department (RTD) said of the popular private car company that is putting its unregulated drivers at risk of being hauled to court and their cars impounded if found offering rides to paying passengers from today.
RTD director-general Datuk Seri Ismail Ahmad told Malay Mail Online said the US-based company must “meet both” his agency and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and not just one party to iron out the regulatory wrinkles impeding its operations in Malaysia.
“No, not yet. Maybe they contacted SPAD but not JPJ. So far, I haven’t received any calls from Uber,” he told Malay Mail Online over the phone last night when asked if the company had contacted either transport authority.
Uber had told Malay Mail yesterday it was seeking to meet SPAD to discuss the regulatory issues hampering their operations here.
Ismail said the RTD will do its part in enforcing local regulations and would make no exceptions to its promise to clamp down on illegal taxi operators nationwide, which is scheduled to kick off today.
The government crackdown falls under both the authority of the RTD and SPAD, which are empowered to act by the Road Transport Act 1987 and the Land Public Transport Act 2010.
Ismail also confirmed that the local transport authorities's crackdown on Uber's private car partners and illegal taxis will not last for just a few weeks or months, but will be an ongoing exercise until the problem is resolved.
“We will proceed as planned.
“It's from tomorrow onwards until we settle this problem,” he said.
Uber offers Malaysians the options of using UberBlack ― where passengers are matched to taxis and limousines that Putrajaya deems legal, while the UberX category authorities where private vehicles and “Hire & Drive” cars provide taxi-like services are considered illegal.
Uber has said it has approached SPAD to clarify regulatory requirements, with the company’s regional general manager Mike Brown saying in an email interview with Malay Mail Online yesterday: “We are in touch with SPAD and look forward to meeting with them soon”.
Malay Mail Online understands that a meeting between the two is set to take place this month, but SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar did not confirm or deny any such meeting when contacted.
Under Malaysian law, individuals or companies providing illegal taxi services using private cars risk having their vehicles impounded or receiving a fine of between RM1,000 and RM10,000 or one year’s imprisonment.
While Ismail said the act of using private vehicles to transport fare-paying passengers was an offence under Section 16 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010, the crackdown and ban does not include the taxis and limousines that Uber is using.
