SIBU: Following the fuel price hike of 20 sen per litre, several taxi associations here are contemplating revising their fares to ensure their survival.
Effective yesterday the new retail price for RN95 is RM2.30 per litre and diesel RM2.20
The Sibu Taxi Owner’s Association and Sibu Division Taxi Association with a combined membership of more than 200 sounded its intention yesterday.
Chairman of Sibu Taxi Owners’ Association, Robert Angkah, bemoaned that taxi drivers had to bear the burden of higher operation cost when the fuel price was hiked by 20 sen before the latest increase.
“With another round of fuel hike, we can no longer absorb the cost as doing so would compel us to close shop.
“For example, the fare from the airport to town is fixed at RM35 but after deducting our expenses, we are making losses following the costlier fuel.
“Compounding our woes, pirate taxis are snatching away our business as they can afford to charge passengers at their whims and fancies,” Angkah told The Borneo Post yesterday, whose association had 160 members.
He was asked if there were plans to adjust their fare in response to the increased fuel prices.
Angkah said that servicing new routes also compelled them to relook at their existing fare structure.
He thus hoped the government would throw them a lifeline by providing some form of subsidies.
In town areas, he said the fare was meter-based – RM10 for the first 3km and RM0.12 for each subsequent 100 meters.
Vice-chairman of Sibu Division Taxi Association Jimmy Henry echoed Angkah’s view, saying they were hard pressed by the higher operating cost.
He hoped the government would continue with the ‘Teksi Rakyat 1Malaysia’ (TR1Ma) programme to alleviate their burden.
“These days, the public are less dependent on taxis to go places as many of them have their own cars,” he lamented, adding that they had to struggle to make ends meet.
Henry’s association has about 60 members.
‘Persatuan Teksi Bumiputra Bersatu Sibu’ on the other hand, said they had yet to decide on increasing their fare.
“But we are hoping the government can provide petrol subsidy like that of diesel subsidy in the past. This will certainly go a long way to mitigate the impact of the price increase of fuel,” its chairman Collin Tinting suggested who has 29 members.
There are four taxi associations in Sibu. The other is ‘Persatuan Taxi Sibu’.
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