Cops arrest five cabbies over protest causing gridlock in Bukit Bintang

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 ― Police arrested five cab drivers today who were protesting the continued operation of ride-sharing services in the city's capital today after the group blocked the roads at Bukit Bintang, bringing traffic to a standstill.

According to Dang Wangi police chief ACP Zainol Samah, police first tried negotiating with the protestors, who had lined their taxis up across Jalan Bukit Bintang and blocked traffic, but the latter refused to disperse.

“At 1200 hours, a group of taxi drivers were asked to disperse but there were some of them who prevented the police from carrying out their duties.

Taxi drivers stage a protest against SPAD and Uber near the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur March 29, 2016.

“As many as five Malay men aged between 30-50 were arrested for obstructing on-duty police and two taxis were confiscated for blocking the road,” he said in a statement.

Two and a half hours after traffic in KL was at a grinding halt, road conditions were back to normal by 12.30pm, he added.

According to the statement, up to 100 cabs were parked in front of a popular Kuala Lumpur shopping mall by 10.30am, with only one lane available to road users, forcing traffic police to divert traffic.

Klang MP Charles Santiago tweeted at 11.25am that traffic was at a “standstill” as taxi drivers were protesting the ongoing operations of Uber and Grabcar.

A taxi driver is arrested by police during a protest against SPAD and Uber near Pavilion Kuala Lumpur March 29, 2016.

“Basically, they're in competition with Uber and Grabcar and the argument is that it needs to go because by now, they're not abiding by SPAD rules,” he said when contacted by the Malay Mail Online, referring to the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).

He added that the cab drivers were also demanding that SPAD offer them a “safety net” as they have been facing up to a 40 per cent loss in business since the ride-sharing services began operating in Kuala Lumpur.

“This is a long-standing issue and it can get worse because of the economic downturn, people won't spend very much they might opt for other forms of transportation,” the DAP lawmaker said.

Some taxi groups have accused SPAD of failing to act against the two services that they insist are illegal.

A taxi driver is arrested by police during a protest against SPAD and Uber near Pavilion Kuala Lumpur March 29, 2016.

The acrimony has resulted in sometimes violent altercations involving irate taxi drivers and those from the two ride-sharing services.

Cabbies also took to the street last November, marching from Padang Merbok to Parliament, urging Putrajaya to ban Uber and GrabCar.

Uber and GrabCar 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.