KLIA ‘teksi sapu’ predators continue to fleece unsuspecting victims with cheap rides that never be

KLIA ‘teksi sapu’ predators continue to fleece unsuspecting victims with cheap rides that never be





ONE wonders whether one should blame oneself or the authorities when one is fleeced – at high cost – by illegal taxi operators who roam the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and/or klia2.


This is because there is a myriad of legal taxi services available ranging from Coupon Taxi to Metered Taxi, Premier Taxi or one can simply Grab (e-hailing) one’s way to the city or to any other desirable location.

Just as a guide, a metered taxi from KLIA to the city centre will cost approximately RM75 which includes RM2 to purchase a metered taxi coupon plus a fixed fee of RM3 for the first kilometre (or three minutes) and 10 sen for each 115 metres or 21 seconds in addition to any incurred toll charges. There is a 50% surcharge from 12 midnight to 6am.




A recent victim of the teksi sapu likened the illegal taxi operators to “predators waiting to pounce on their prey.” They would wait at a corner for an unsuspecting client (usually women and tourists with many luggage) and the moment one is at sight, they would immediately swing into action by capitalising on the vulnerability of the unsuspecting passenger.

They often offer cheaper services at the outset but end up charging a hefty amount when the destination is reached. And the passenger is often at their mercy because they would not allow the passenger to collect the bags from the booth unless he/she pays up.

Under such circumstances, the victim should lodge a police report immediately by furnishing the vehicle’s registration number or a description of its driver prior to submitting their report to the Road Transport Department (JPJ) for follow-up action.

In a most ironical situation, it is somehow ‘re-assuring’ to hear JPJ’s very own director-general Datuk Zailani Hashim sharing his personal experience on the teksi sapu menace operating out of KLIA and/or klia2.

There have been reports of foreigners also being fleeced by these teksi sapu operators who charge exorbitant fares thus giving the country a bad name.

People would have thought that after Zailani’s shared his personal experience at a media conference last December – and with the launch of Op Ulat (JPJ’s operations against illegal taxi drivers) last year – the teksi sapu menace will be a thing of the past.

Legal taxis waiting to pick up passengers at KLIA and/or klia2


But not necessary so. At the end of the day, the operation which involved 14 JPJ enforcement officers and the fine imposed seemed to be only a slap on the wrist for the 19 illegal taxi drivers nabbed between Dec 4 and 12 last year.

Given that our authorities are good at carrying out an operation whenever they receive numerous complaints – and since these campaigns are largely ineffective – it is perhaps high time for the authorities to change their modus operandi.

Among others, enforcement officers can masquerade as undercover passengers to nab the culprits and charge them in court. This will send a chill up the spine of these criminals that they have to eventually pay for their wrongdoing if they persist in fleecing the public. – May 10, 2023