KUALA LUMPUR: E-hailing drivers now have the option of obtaining their Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licences by sitting for the required course online, instead of spending six hours at driving schools.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the move to offer the electronic-PSV (e-PSV) course was made after a recent discussion with e-hailing operators, including Grab.
“The ministry briefed all e-hailing operators, so that all could accept e-PSV. (So), e-hailing drivers do not need to attend PSV classes physically.
“They don’t have to spend six hours in the classroom. They can do it at any time; at night, or when they are having a rest.
“As long as they go through the course electronically, and then sit for the one-hour exam, it’s fine,” he said after launching the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd’s (KTMB) ‘MyRailtime’ mobile application at KL Sentral here, on Friday.
Loke’s announcement follows concerns raised by e-hailing drivers about the PSV over the past week.
On Tuesday, Grab Drivers Malaysia Association president Arif Asyraf Ali urged the government to extend the deadline for drivers obtain the PSV.
The association claimed that the time allocated by the government for the nation’s 200,000 e-hailing drivers to apply for their PSV licence is too short, as the module was only introduced on April 1.
There is also the issue of driving schools unable to accommodate the surge in the number of PSV applicants, as only one training session for 50 participants is conducted per week.
Some drivers were up in arms over the questions posed in the PSV tests, as they did not reflect the learning module and resulted in a high number of failing grades.
Other drivers also claimed that some driving schools had exceeded the RM220 ceiling for the PSV licence course fee.
When asked if the e-PSV course will cost extra money, Loke said it depends on each e-hailing operator.
“If the e-hailing operator provides it free to their drivers, that is their (right),” he said, adding that the ministry is willing to help operators who face logistical problems in getting their drivers to take the PSV test.
“Since (operators) know where their drivers are based – their particular location or town – we can arrange for a particular PSV test in that particular town on that day. We (can) send our Road Transport Department officers there,” he added.
Loke said certain quarters are deliberately trying to ensure that the regulation for drivers to obtain PSV licenses is a failure, and urged e-hailing drivers to cooperate with the ministry for everyone’s benefit.
When contacted by the NST, Arif Asyraf lauded the ministry’s move to provide an electronic option for the PSV course.
“As drivers, we are very happy about the news. Making (the course available) online will be much easier and we hope it will be more cost effective.
“We will be able to take the course anywhere, anytime in Malaysia. Drivers are well versed with online transactions, anyway,” he said.
Arif Asyraf, however, reiterated his previous plea for the government to extend the July 12 deadline for e-hailing drivers to obtain a PSV licence.
“We also suggested for a longer test period. Currently, a PSV test is conducted for 60 minutes for 60 questions. Drivers should be given an extra 30 minutes or so, as it will boost their chances of passing the test,” he added.
Part-time Grab driver and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) software engineering student, Muhammad Nadzarul Jasni, 22, said that taking the PSV course online would save time.
He also suggested that payment for the PSV courses should be made easier, and urged driving schools or e-hailing operators to allow for instalment payments to ease the burden.