JPJ May Soon Forfeit Vehicles Used By Illegal Taxi Operators

According to JPJ deputy director-general (planning and operations), Datuk Jazmanie Shafawi, the department is in talks with the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) about pursuing the seizure of vehicles for "prebet sapu," or illegal private taxi drivers, who have committed repeated violations.

The discussions, which have been ongoing for the past three months, are intended to put an end to repeat offenders, as fines were not an issue for prebet sapu operators, who may earn between RM10,000 and RM30,000 each month, Jazmanie said.

"When they are issued fines, they just settle them and continue," he told reporters after an operation, Op Ulat, against "prebet sapu" at KLIA Terminal 1 last night.

Between 2022 and December 3 of this year, the JPJ arrested 469 unlicensed private vehicle service operators and fined them approximately RM1.66 million.

"In 2022, we detained 130 drivers and fined them RM488,200; the next year, we apprehended 161 drivers and fined them RM621,400.

"This year we have already detained 178 drivers and issued RM554,900 worth of fines," he explained.

Jazmanie also stated that many of these operators target foreigners who are unaware of the regulated cab pricing.

"Our investigations revealed that one driver charged RM100 for a trip from the airport to a hotel at Kota Warisan, Sepang, while others charged over RM300 for a trip to Kuala Lumpur," he added.