It’s like they’re purposely giving us reasons to choose other alternatives instead!
Based on a Facebook post that has since gone viral with over 1.4k shares, the user, Shahrizal shared his experience of how no taxi driver wanted to pick him up because his journey was too short.
In the post, he said that he had just gotten off a flight from Manila. He then took the ERL from KLIA and stopped at Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS). He stated that there were about 20 taxis parked by the waiting area, waiting for customers.
Shahrizal walked over and approached one of the drivers. “Where do you want to go?” a driver asked. He told him he wanted to go to Bandar Sri Permaisuri.
“That’s too near,” the driver replied instantly.
Feeling disappointed, Shahrizal headed over to the other drivers, thinking that he’d have better luck and at least someone would drive him home. However, none of them accepted his request.
“Maybe because the distance from TBS and Bandar Sri Permaisuri was only 15 minutes away,” he tried to justify being denied a ride to his destination.
“If you were to go to Puchong or Kepong, then I’ll definitely drive you there,” stated one of the taxi drivers.
“Aren’t the passengers that are supposed to choose the drivers, not the other way around?” Shahrizal thought to himself.
From then on, it was clear. They only wanted to ‘untung’ (profit).
Eventually, a driver approached him and agreed to drive him to his destination. However, he asked,
“How much can you pay me?”
Shahrizal responded by saying he would pay the driver according to the meter. The driver disapproved, saying he has been waiting for customers for a while now. The driver tried to negotiate, saying he would fetch Shahrizal if he paid at least RM40.
Shahrizal responded by saying he would pay RM15 but the driver shook his head and repeated how he has been waiting for customers for quite some time.
How can you complain about waiting for so long when you’re denying a customer’s request?
The driver then walked over to the other taxi drivers, joining them for a smoke and chat while waiting for other customers.
None of them agreed to use the meter. Shahrizal eventually asked every single one of the drivers but alas, not a single one of them wanted to drop him off because his destination was “too near”.
Shahrizal then decided to walk to the main road and he finally saw another taxi driver. He told the driver his intended destination and without further question, the driver immediately switched on the meter. He went straight into the taxi and went home.
“If it weren’t for my phone being dead, I would have definitely called Grab.”
Shahrizal ended his post saying that he wanted to highlight the importance of taxi drivers’ attitudes, especially when dealing with customers.
Have you experienced being rejected by taxi drivers for reasons such as the distance being too close or they wanted a higher fare? Tell us in the comments below!
Also read: Dr M to Rude Taxi Drivers: If You Don’t Want Me to Be PM, Today I Resign