By Xavier Kong
When it comes down to it, there is enough “blame” to go around for everyone to have a share when the topic turns to the success of ridesharing services in the Klang Valley. However, it also comes down to whether or not the parties involved are willing to taste humble pie and admit that they could be part of the reason. After all, look at Germany!
A state of limbo is not the best state to start the year in, but for ridesharing services Uber and GrabCar in Malaysia, this was the state in which the new year was ushered in. Of course, the state of limbo refers to the question of whether or not the ridesharing services are legal, with taxi associations now upping the ante of the fight to taking legal action against the Land Public Transport Commission (Spad), with claims that the commission has been negligent in declaring the ridesharing services illegal.
On the other hand, Germany ushered in the new year knowing that Uber is now only operating in two of its cities, following the retreat of Uber from Frankfurt, where the service had been operating for 19 months before calling it quit. How is it that Uber is thriving in Malaysia, yet fizzling out in Germany?
In all of this, Tiger would first like to say that there is no such thing as a cast-iron rice bowl, and no one at all should feel entitled to one. As such, is it not time for those taxi drivers who feel oh so slighted that this is what competition does? Either accept it, and take it as a benchmark to better yourself, or do what some people are doing and whine, throw tantrums, and generally blame everyone but themselves.
Another thing to make clear is that the legislators in Germany were fast and efficient, and were clear about their duty. Is the service complying with the rules and regulations set in place? No. Did the service attempt to approach us for discussion in the beginning? No. Well, this, ladies and gentlemen, is illegal, and we should declare it as such. Note that UberPop, the equivalent of UberX here, was banned last March in Germany as it did not comply with the regulations set forth by the German authorities.
So, all right, taxi associations do have a case for putting Spad under the microscope for negligence, but the question remains: even if Spad bans Uber and GrabCar, would people choose to support the taxi associations?
According to Spad’s survey, the answer is no. As it is, taxi drivers do have one advantage over ridesharing services, in that they can be flagged down by someone in need of a ride on the street. Of course, when people choose to actually whip out their mobile devices and wait for a ridesharing service, even when there are cabs right there, speaks volumes about the amount of trust that the people have for taxi drivers.
To paraphrase a friend of Tiger’s, the taxi industry is one of reputation. If bad apples are not taken out swiftly and harshly, the reputation of the service is just going to go down.
When Tiger heard this statement, Tiger could not agree more. Of course Tiger knows that there are still good, honest taxi drivers plying their trade on the streets, but when the reputation of the service is marred by vehicles in disrepair, with the vehicle looking like it is only held together by duct tapes and wishes, while the driver is not only discourteous, but actually believes that they have the right to metaphorically spit on the people they claim to provide a service for, well, this speaks for itself, does it not?
It might be unfair to generalise, with yet another of Tiger’s companions noting that people tend to remember the bad encounters more than the good ones.
Again, Tiger would like to point out that exceptional service and bad service both remain memorable. Just what is Uber and GrabCar currently known for that places them as a choice over cabs? Not only the low fares, mind you, though those do play a part.
It is rare to find a discourteous driver among those driving for ridesharing services, and there is also the knowledge that any complaint made against the driver about the vehicle or the driver’s attitude is met with a swift response, as well as constant updates. Having personally experienced making a complaint to Spad, Tiger has but this to say: there is much less hassle complaining to the ridesharers.
But in the end, it all boils down to the choice of the people, does it not? Having tasted of what can only be described as a generally better service, it would be cruel to force people back to a service that has shown time and again that it does not care about its reputation. At the same time, this should also serve as a lesson to authorities to take swift and appropriate measures against offenders.
Tiger dares to say that, had the taxi service in Malaysia been enjoying a good reputation of proper service as well as proper enforcement against the few tarnishing the good, honest name of other taxi drivers, Uber and GrabCar would not have had the opportunity to flourish as they have in Malaysia, with Uber looking to add another 100,000 drivers by the end of 2016.
As it is, it remains business. If there is a gap in the market where there is demand, there will be someone who will find a way to supply that demand. The current state of limbo has only done more harm than good for Spad and taxi associations, while the people who drive for Uber and GrabCar are forced to live in a state of wariness against any attack by tantrum-throwing taxi drivers.
Tiger can only hope that a solid and satisfactory conclusion to this entire drama-filled saga will be reached sometime soon, but Tiger is also reminded of the saying about spitting in one hand and wishing in the other.
GRRRRR!!!
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