Rude taxi drivers

Reading this letter from Jin Kobayashi, [Taxi drivers] A bad image for the country, which is easily the fifth letter in a fortnight on errant taxi and airport limousine drivers, I am beginning to think if there is anything we can do to redress the situation. No amount of policing and fines will address the situation, if it's the drivers themselves who want to continue to flout the law, be rude and obnoxious, and to drive like there's no tomorrow and maintain their vehicles in an almost 'scrap' condition'!

Let me give an example of the taxi services in Singapore; the drivers there too have a hard time making a living, they too curse and blame the government for their problems, and they also complain endlessly the rules that they have to abide by, and that they have to work until they die, for the pittance they get. But, they always use meters, converse with the passengers, their vehicles are spick and span, regardless of the age of the vehicles, and they go anywhere the passengers ask them to, anytime.

Why is there such a difference? Can we change the mindset of our taxi drivers, and can we make them grateful that they have a job or business, no matter how tough it is? Can the Government transformation program transform the taxi business, and why are we not make a strong effort to do it?

Too many readers have written to the Press in recent times for the Govt to ignore this problem of obdurate Malaysian taxi drivers, but alas, I see the lack of political will to do what has to be done.

We need to fix the problem of rude taxi drivers