Pengguna perihatin

SOME wounds are just to deep to be healed by mere promises, no matter how good they sound.

That was the impression Malay Mail received after speaking to various taxi organisations and consumer groups on the pledge made by the latest minister to oversee of the troubled Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB). CVLB has come under fire from various quarters following a series of exposes carried out by Malay Mail in recent weeks into the weaknesses and abuses in the coupon taxi system.

The probes uncovered a litany of abuses, from dearer- than-standard fares to different fares to the same destination – charged by the same company.

Many criticised the CVLB for being ineffective, with some even calling for the coupon system to be disbanded and the board to be overhauled.

Yesterday, we reported that Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Law and Parliament Affairs, Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz, had been tasked with overseeing the board after CVLB was recently placed under the purview of the PM's Department.

Upon meeting with CVLB on Monday, Nazri stated he was reviewing the whole taxi system, and had given CVLB one month to prepare solutions to prevent further express bus accidents and curb errant taxi drivers.

His statement was met with a mixed response by the parties involved, who preferred to adopt a "wait and see" attitude.

Here are their views. Malaysian Limousine, Taxi and Hired Car Drivers and Operators Association (Petekma) president Yusoff Lahir:

"The minister first has to prove that he is capable. It is like an engineer; if he (Nazri) builds a straight road, then taxi operators and all will also move straight.

" Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associat ions (Fomca) president Datuk N. Marimuthu:

"It is still too early to comment on the minister's assurance.

Act first and then we will see as there have been too many problems with CVLB and the country's taxi system.

The question isn't about who takes over CVLB or the promises that he makes, it is more important that he listens to the people and takes positive action before any praise can be given." Subang and Shah Alam Consumers' Association pre s ident Dr Jacob George:

"I am glad that the troubled CVLB will be under Nazri's purview as he has a reputation as a no-nonsense man.

This, however, isn't enough as I still feel CVLB should be revamped or it will be the case of 'same old wine in a new bottle'.

" National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) chief executive officer Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah.

"The minister should get public feedback first before implementing any changes. We have seen too many ministers come and go and they all do what they think is best.They all made plans which have not helped the public transportation industry much.That is why before any changes are implemented he needs to go to the ground and consult consumers and drivers as they will know best.I hope he will implement what consumers want without any interference from any government agency."

K.K. Lee, manager of Top Station Sdn Bhd, the coupon taxi operator at Berjaya Times Square:

"We support the minister's call to review the whole taxi system including the coupon system, as it could ensure consistency.However, in defence of the coupon system, operators only garner 10 per cent of the rates charged and the rest goes to the cabbies themselves.The rates are sometimes higher than the meters because we have to take into consideration the rental charges and staff wages.Contrary to general perception, we coupon operators only earn a small profit."