New Vehicle Licencing Standards Out By April 15

According to YB Anthony Loke, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) has developed licensing standards for frequent inspections of both commercial and private vehicles since Puspakom's monopoly on this service ended.

He further stated that these standards were developed in response to the Cabinet's decision to allow competition in car inspection services on March 17, last year, in order to safeguard the integrity, orderly conduct, and quality of inspections.

Only qualified and competent companies shall be permitted and licenced to conduct vehicle inspections under the Road Transport Act of 1987. The services offered by licence holders will be rigorously monitored under defined licence terms, and costs will apply to each awarded licence.

According to him, detailed rules will be published online on the MOT and Road Transport Department (RTD) websites from April 15.

Following a thorough review, suitable parties will be awarded interim approval, with up to 24 months to prepare and grow. However, parties who fail to make all essential preparations within this deadline will have their interim approval removed and will not be awarded a licence.

Those who are successful will be issued a licence to conduct motor vehicle inspections for a maximum of ten years, with the potential of an extension as determined subsequently.

Loke also underlined that all licence holders must follow the guidelines outlined in the licensing conditions, as well as any directives issued during the effective licence period.

Parties who violate these criteria will incur penalties, and their licences may be suspended or revoked.

Loke announced on March 24 of last year that Puspakom's exclusive provision of scheduled vehicle inspections for the Road Transport Department would stop on Sept 1, after serving as the country's sole comprehensive national vehicle inspection service provider since 1994.