KUALA LUMPUR: Effective Friday, Malaysian private vehicle owners will no longer need to display their motor vehicle licence (commonly known as road tax) or carry a copy of their driving licence. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said drivers can obtain digital copies of the two documents on the Road Transport Department's (RTD) portal or MyJPJ application, which may be downloaded from the App Store, Play Store or Huawei App Gallery. While some motorists hailed the announcement, others cited concerns such as security and accessibility. Loke addressed some of the issues during a press conference yesterday and in a Facebook post.
QUESTION (Q): Which group of people will benefit from this exemption?
ANSWER (A): Currently, the exemption applies solely to Malaysian-owned private cars and motorcycles. Other types of vehicles, such as commercial, company-owned, public service (e.g. e-hailing) and those owned by foreigners will be included gradually.
Q: Why the need to digitise the system?
A: This will ease congestion and long queues at RTD offices since motorists will no longer need to obtain physical copies of these documents. Nonetheless, Loke made it clear that motorists still have to renew their road tax and licence. He further said the digitisation move will save the government RM96 million a year, which is used for printing the motor and driving licences. "The amount can be channelled to improve the application and other needs," he said, adding that the digitisation move had received full support from the Finance Ministry and did not require any additional allocation.
Q: MyJPJ app: How does it work?
A: Loke recommended the public to download the MyJPJ app to access their digital motor and driving licences. Through the app, drivers can check their personal information and details of their vehicles that are stored in the RTD database. They include their driving licence, road tax, driving test results, summonses and even reports of stolen cars. "Enforcement officers will scan the QR code on the digital driving licence and road tax. It also can verify whether the digital driver's licence and road tax are genuine, as well as its validity," he said.
Q: What if I do not have MyJPJ installed?
A: Loke on Friday gave his assurance to motorists that it was neither mandatory to download MyJPJ nor do they need to keep a digital copy of their road tax or driving licence at hand. "No. This (app) is only one of the options to get a digital copy of the road tax and driver's licence," he wrote on Facebook on Friday.
Q: Will I be issued a summons if I fail to show my digital road tax or licence?
A: Motorists will not be issued with summonses if they did not have a digital copy of their road tax or licence, said Loke. He said enforcement officers can confirm the status of motorists' road tax and driving licence through their own device. Since the announcement, some motorists have reported issues with the app, which Loke attributes to high traffic and the RTD is trying to resolve.
Q: What if I do not own a smartphone or don't have Internet access on the road?
A: Loke said for those who do not want to use the app, they can still obtain a physical road tax sticker and driving licence from RTD.
Q: What if I'm driving someone else's car?
A: Those who have chosen to go completely digital and not use the road tax sticker can print a copy of the digital road tax to keep in the car. In the case of the authorities inquiring about the road tax, individuals other than the owner can show the printed copy. However, Loke said it is not mandatory to keep a printed copy, as the authorities can verify the information through their devices.
Q: Have other countries implemented such digital systems?
A: Transport consultant Rosli Azad Khan said even though countries like the Netherlands have digital systems to access a vehicle's information, a physical driving licence is still required at all times. "The Netherlands still uses plastic driving licences, but everything else is digitised," he said. It was reported that Singapore has eliminated the use of road tax stickers in 2017 and digitalised all its driving licences in 2020. These details are accessible through the Singpass app, which also serves as the republic's digital identification card.
Queries welcomed
Loke said the authorities will try to provide additional and comprehensible explanations for all queries. "In any process of change, it will take time to adapt. There are parties who will not agree with the change. I respect all views and will try to manage this change as best I can along with my team at the ministry and RTD. We will try to fix any weaknesses that arise in this process," he said.