JPJ cracks down on e-hailing drivers at KLIA bypassing apps, charging up to RM800 分享

SEPANG, July 7 — The Road Transport Department (JPJ) found some licensed e-hailing drivers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminals 1 and 2 bypassing their booking applications and charging tourists high fares during the Ops Ulat crackdown.

JPJ director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli said the drivers loiter in arrival halls and approach tourists, especially foreigners, to offer direct services rather than using official applications that regulate fares and queues.

“They corner and take advantage of tourists who do not know how to get to their destinations, deceiving them by charging excessively high fees. A regular taxi ride to Kuala Lumpur should only cost between RM65 and RM80.

“However, the (tourists) are being forced to pay between RM500 and RM800. This causes them to return home and give negative feedback about our country,” he told a press conference held in conjunction with Ops Ulat KLIA here yesterday.

He said one case involved a tourist from China who agreed to pay RM60 for a ride from KLIA T2 to Kuala Lumpur but was later forced to pay RM836 upon arrival and was not allowed to leave the vehicle until payment was made.

“JPJ views this matter seriously as it not only violates the law but also compromises the integrity of the nation’s public transport system, disadvantages licensed operators, and casts a negative image on Malaysia as a tourist destination,” he said.

On the KLIA Ops Ulat, Aedy Fadly said the operation ran from June 12 to 26 and was carried out with the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), involving JPJ personnel from Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, and Melaka.

“Some of our personnel went undercover as tourists, and we also used Malaysian and foreign citizens as decoys to nab these touts who exploit tourists arriving at the KLIA terminals,” he said.

He said during the operation, JPJ checked 59 vehicles and took action against 54, including 27 private vehicles, 16 e-hailing vehicles, nine taxis, and two company-owned vehicles.

Aedy Fadly added that the 76 notices were issued for offences under the Land Public Transport Act 2010 (LPTA), with 70 issued to locals and 6 to foreigners.

“Action was taken under four provisions of the LPTA, namely Section 205, Section 16(1), Section 243(1), and Section 22. Out of the total 76 notices issued across these four sections,” he said.

He said JPJ also found that Bangladeshi nationals were involved in touting at KLIA, targeting tourists from their own country as it was easier to communicate with them.

He added that touting was also detected at other airports, including Subang, Penang, Johor, and Terengganu, with the highest number of cases at KLIA.

Aedy Fadly said JPJ will continue enforcement operations at all major airports and increase daily patrols at KLIA T1 and T2 to prevent touting and protect the country’s tourism image. — Bernama