Age limit of public service vehicles extended

By THE STAR | 13 July 2021


PETALING JAYA: The Transport Ministry has announced an automatic one-year extension of vehicle age limit for public service vehicles in a bid to aid the public transport sector.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, said the decision to grant this extension was made with the understanding that many drivers and operators would face great difficulty in replacing their vehicles during this challenging time.

This was to assist the public transport industry, particularly those operating or driving taxis, school and tour buses, to weather the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

"The ministry will grant an automatic extension of one year to public transport vehicles that have or will reach their maximum vehicle age limit as stipulated in their respective permits or licences, including those that had been granted a prior extension in 2020.

"Any public service vehicle that has or will reach its respective permitted age limit between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2021 will be granted an automatic one-year extension for the vehicle's licensing purposes.

"However, this extension is only for vehicles that have undergone and passed the Puspakom vehicle inspection process to ensure their road-worthiness and safe operation," he said on Monday.

Dr Wee said that all classes of public service vehicles under the purview of the Land Public Transport Agency and the respective Commercial Vehicle Licensing boards of Sabah and Sarawak were eligible for this extension.

The ministry's decision regarding this extension for tour or excursion buses has also been made in coordination with tour operator licensing and tour or excursion bus licensing requirements in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan under the purview of the Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry.

It followed the outcome from consultations between the ministry and the industry's representatives and associations, added Dr Wee.

They include the Federation of School Bus Associations Malaysia, Pan Malaysia Bus Operators Association, Persatuan Pengusaha Bas Persiaran Semenanjung Malaysia, and Gabungan Teksi Semenanjung Malaysia, Koperasi, among others.

"The ministry remains committed to the feedback from transport industry players affected by the pandemic as public transport remains an essential transport for many.

"We hope that this automatic extension of the vehicle age limit for one year will bring some relief to the industry as companies focus on recovering to become competitive again to serve the public," he said.

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