KL food truck operators urge DBKL to address their parking woes

FOOD truck operators in the city centre have urged Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to look into their grouses, chief among them is to provide suitable parking lots to run their business and earn a living.

They told The Vibes that DBKL needs to listen to the operators on what they need to conduct their operations with ease and not cause any obstruction during their business hours.

Kuala Lumpur Food Truck Entrepreneur Association (KLFTEA) president Muhammad Azlan Abas said DBKL must have a dialogue session with the operators to address any shortcomings they have in their operations.

He said that they have 700 members in Kuala Lumpur manning 2,000 trucks as some owners have more than one truck.

“Our association has 250 registered members who have licenses, while the others are waiting for their applications to be processed,” Azlan added.

He said some operators are parking their trucks at public car parks and this can cause problems with other vehicle owners.

“To prevent this, DBKL should hear our suggestions and come up with new policies,” Azlan said.

He said that previously DBKL had allocated 200 parking spaces in the city centre for food truck operators – said parking lots were marked in red paint and signboards were erected to indicate their location.  

“But there were incidents when the public parked their vehicles in the spots which were meant for food trucks. Left with no choice, the food truck operators had to park in other spots which were meant for the public,” Azlan said.

He said DBKL has to change their designated areas and look for alternative solutions.

“What we suggest is that they look into the current gazettement of lots (200 parking lots) for the food truck operators,” he said.

“Some lots are not suitable as they are not near any commercial areas, where there are hardly any customers.

“For example, like Jalan Imbi or Jalan Sultan Ismail. If there are parking lots and they do not obstruct anyone, then the food truck operators should be allowed to operate there.

“If an area has 200 parking lots, then we suggest that about 10 to 15 lots be allocated for the food truck operators.”

Azlan also said food truck operators do not run their business the whole day, but at selected times.

“Sometimes they operate for two hours during lunch hour and sometimes a few hours in the evening.

“If they are utilising the parking lots, they should pay the parking fees for those few hours.

“This is so that the public will not complain about us, and we do not complain about them.”

He also said that DBKL should accept suggestions from KLFTEA on where they can operate in the city.

“Allow the food truck operators to operate in areas we have chosen for three to six months.

“That way we will be able to gauge the level of business and whether the lot is suitable,” Azlan said.

Apart from the designated car park lots at the nine parliamentary constituencies in Kuala Lumpur, there are also static food truck hotspots at My Box @Bukit Jalil, Tapak Urban @ KLCC, Tapak Urban at Cheras and elsewhere.

He said DBKL should provide licences for all the operators, so that they can keep track of their whereabouts.

“We are suggesting a digital system using QR code, so DBKL officers can check if the food truck is operating illegally or if they are licensed and whether they are in the right lot.”

Azlan said that they will be writing a letter to DBKL this week to request a dialogue session. – May 11, 2024.