Taxi drivers in Malaysia long have a notorious reputation, no thanks to their aggressive behavior towards locals and foreigners alike when trying to woo potential customers or overcharging passengers.
One taxi driver in Johor Bahru took things a bit too far by reportedly putting his hands on a passenger who accused of him charging him more than he should, according to China Press.
Strangled passenger over taxi fare
The incident was documented by an eyewitness, believed to be a Singaporean, in a Facebook post last Sunday (Apr 15).
In the post, the OP wrote that he was waiting for a bus at JB Central when he noticed a taxi driver sitting by the roadside.
A young man then approached the driver, inquiring about the fare to the Larkin bus terminal. The driver responded by informing him that the fare was RM60.
According to Google Maps, the Larkin bus terminal is situated approximately 6.7 km from JB Central and takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
However, the young man found the quoted fare to be unreasonable and decided to consult other drivers.
Perhaps not wanting to lose a potential customer, the first taxi driver pursued after the young man and asked him what he believed to be a fair price.
The young man said that a Grab ride would cost him only RM12 and accused the taxi driver of overcharging, which angered the latter.
The OP wrote that an altercation erupted between the taxi driver and young man, where the taxi driver approached the young man from behind and strangled him, causing him to nearly choke to death.
Fortunately, the young man was able to call for help and it attracted the attention of the auxiliary police, who ordered the taxi driver to let him go.
The OP also claimed that several other taxi drivers who witnessed the scene did nothing and merely watched.
The worst thing was that during this process, the other drivers did not intervene to stop the incident.
“When the young man asked for witnesses, they were talking, smiling and watching the live show instead. What exactly can be done to get this driver punished?” he wrote.
Read the post here:
Online reaction
The incident has since sparked a fierce debate about taxi services in Malaysia and the overall ‘gangster attitude’ of taxi drivers in the country.
One wrote that the unsavory behavior of Malaysian taxi drivers was the reason why they find it hard to compete against Uber and Grab.
Another claimed that a friend of his was cheated of RM70 by a taxi driver who refused to pick up his calls after getting the money.
On the other hand, one netizen said that the young man could’ve said something nasty to taxi driver that might have caused him to snap.
Regardless of who was in the wrong, you should never put your hands on somebody to resolve a conflict!
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