MELAKA: The Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB) is investigating a tourist’s allegation of being overcharged by a trishaw rider at a holiday destination here.
Mayor Datuk Shadan Othman said stern action would be taken if the claim, which has gone viral on social media, is found to be true.
"All 250 trishaw riders are required to display their identification cards together with a QR code.
“In this case, we have not received any official complaint from the tourist, apart from the posting that has circulated on social media with no mention of the rider's details,” he said when contacted on Wednesday (April 15).
In the post, a Threads user identified as "Yasmin_aishah" claimed she, her husband and their infant child had initially agreed to pay RM50 for a single round of the tour.
She alleged that, upon ending the ride, the rider demanded RM80 without providing a reasonable explanation.
Shadan urged the complainant to lodge an official report to enable further investigation and ensure appropriate action can be taken if the allegation is proven.
He said the council has set the trishaw fare between RM25 and RM50 depending on the route, and monitoring is carried out to ensure riders comply with the approved rates.
"If passengers feel they have been affected or cheated, they can scan the QR code displayed on the trishaw and submit a report directly to MBMB, which will respond within 24 hours,” he said.
Shadan said investigations would take between two and three weeks, and if any breach is found, stern action, including suspension of the rider’s licence, may be imposed.
"However, we have not received complaints related to fares so far, while most issues involve rider discipline and being rude to passengers,” he added.
