Ipoh cabbies impose RM1 surcharge - The Star

By Sylvia Looi

IPOH: In an act of defiance, the city’s 1,200 taxi drivers will impose a RM1 surcharge on top of the RM4 minimum fare here.

Ipoh City Taxi Operators Association secretary Leong Yew said that the cabbies from 15 associations had unanimously agreed to the surcharge from Saturday.

“We have no choice but to impose the surcharge as the petrol price has increase by 40%,” he told a press conference at the association's premises here.

The association's members, he added, had also agreed that they would charge an additional 20% for trips exceeding 10km.

Leong said besides the increase in fuel prices, taxi drivers also had to put up with the spiralling prices of batteries, tyres and spare parts.

The drivers’ decision came despite a warning from Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar that recalcitrant taxi drivers would have their permits revoked if they raised fares.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/7/nation/20080607161407&sec=nation]