Taxi touting betrays national interests, end it – Loke

Transport minister Anthony Loke has said that taxi touting is an act of betraying the country’s interests and that all parties must work together to eradicate it, Bernama reports. He said the problem had persisted for over 10 years without a solution, particularly at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

“This problem tarnishes the nation’s image. Imagine tourists arriving happily, ready to travel and spend in Malaysia, but the moment they leave the airport, they get cheated – taken to Kuala Lumpur and charged RM300 to RM400 when the fare is less than RM100.

“They get angry and post their experiences on social media. In the end, our country’s image is tainted, and other tourists may hesitate to visit Malaysia,” Loke said yesterday, adding that he has instructed the road transport department (JPJ) to crack down on touts, including issuing saman, seizing vehicles and bringing them to court.

“If you want to be a transport driver, get a licence. It’s not difficult. The transport ministry has simplified the process. For example, to become an e-hailing driver now, there is no need to take the Public Service Vehicle (PSV) vocational licence (theory) test. With just a short course, you can obtain a PSV licence. So, there is no excuse for not following the law,” he said.

Loke said the transport ministry fully supports efforts to grow tourism via good and convenient public transport, and highlighted KLIA2‘s taxi booking app, e-hailing queue system and comfortable waiting areas.

In July, a new act, A1766, under the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (Amendment) Act 2025 forbids touting at Malaysian airports. The offence is subject to a fine not exceeding RM50,000, or a maximum five year jail term, or both. A new section 41.A.(1) inserted into the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board Act 1987 [Act 334] reads as follows:

“Any person who, without lawful authority, solicits or touts for the purpose of offering services in connection with accepting for hire or reward the carriage of passengers or plying for hire or reward, whether or not carried out by that person, at any public place or its ancillary areas or in the vicinity of such place, commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to both.”

The act empowers arrest without warrant by police or road transport officer of anyone touting or suspected of touting at the airport, with the person being brought immediately to the nearest police station and subsequently brought before a Magistrate. For the purposes of the act, the areas where touting is prohibited includes all parts of an airport that are freely accessible to members of the public, any road, any terminal, or any place which has been gazetted as a stand for public service vehicles.