SEPANG – The Road Transport Department (RTD) revealed the existence of “ulat jaket” (“jacketed worms”) who target tourists from the Middle East by offering tour packages including vehicle rental at unreasonable prices.
RTD director-general Datuk Zailani Hashim said among the modus operandi of the touts was to dress smartly in jackets and offer travel packages including vehicle rental to tourist destinations at prices between RM30,000 and RM40,000.
He said the touts were aware that the victims, Middle Eastern tourists who usually arrived in Malaysia between May and July, were affluent.
“They will charge exorbitantly, from the hotel accommodation to the resort, and if we look at the travel agency package deals, they are much cheaper.
“This clearly gives the country a bad image, and these Middle Eastern tourists may not want to travel to this country because of this,” he told a press conference here today.
Zailani added that in preparation for the reopening of the country’s borders from April 1, the department had increased monitoring and enforcement to curb the offering of unlicensed and illegal car rental services at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and klia2.
From March 8 to 15, 14 drivers were arrested involving 11 private vehicles, including Toyota Vellfires and Toyota Hiluxes, and three using taxis, he said.
“They promise much cheaper transportation charges at first and once they arrive at the destination, the victims have to pay higher charges than promised,” he said.
He said the charges imposed by the airport touts (from KLIA or klia2 to Kuala Lumpur) were between RM80 and RM150 compared to taxi or limousine charges between RM65 and RM80 only.
The touts can be prosecuted under Section 205 (1) of the Land Public Transport Act 2010, which provides for a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or both, if convicted. – Bernama, March 16, 2022
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