By LESTER KONG

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia: The Road Transport Department (JPJ) will send show-cause letters to 612 rogue taxi drivers immediately, said its director-general Datuk Solah Mat Hassan.

He said the drivers would be given three weeks to respond instead of the two-week period stipulated under Section 56(4) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

"We are preparing the letters now. It takes a while because there are more than 600 of them," he told The Star yesterday.

He said the public service vehicle licences of the errant drivers would be suspended if they could not give a satisfactory reason for their offences of not using meters, overcharging, not displaying their driver cards and refusing to pick up passengers.

"We are expecting the majority of them to keep quiet. If they do not reply, we will have no choice but to take immediate action," he said.

It was reported on Tuesday that a JPJ operation in March revealed that only 15 out of 627 taxi drivers followed regulations.

Solah also admonished errant taxi drivers for not being professional in their conduct and service to the public.

Taxi drivers and associations have suggested to the Government to increase the starting meter fare from RM2 ($0.83) to RM4 if they want taxi drivers to behave.

Cab driver S. Panersilban, 52, said that the RM2 starting fare, set 13 years ago, was forcing some taxi drivers to resort to unethical ways to make a living, most commonly by not using their meters.

He added that the Government's refusal to review metered fare was not fair as the price of most goods and services had gone up along with the country's economic growth.

"Maybe the 15 out of the 627 drivers are senior citizens and retired. But the rest of us just want to cari makan (make a living)," said Panersilban.

KL and Selangor Indian Taxi Association secretary S. Balakrishnan suggested that the best way to ensure that taxi drivers used their meters was to station JPJ officers at popular taxi stands.

He said that there should be 15 officers stationed on morning and evening shifts in areas like KLCC, Bukit Bintang, Central Market and Petaling Street.

One taxi driver, who only wanted to be known as Michael Tan, 53, said permits for taxis should be given only to individual drivers, not companies.

Tan explained that the typical taxi driver had to pay RM40 to RM50 in rental fees to the companies that own the taxi in addition to forking out for a separate "hire purchase" cost and other overheads like fuel and maintenance. -The Star/ANN