KAJANG: The government has introduced an online initiative to ease the process of de-registering vehicles, while addressing the increasing number of abandoned vehicles machines in municipalities.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said owners can now dispose of their old vehicles at the Authorised Automotive Treatment Facility (AATF) via the Online Motor Vehicle De-registration System (e-Dereg).
He said the system, with the pilot centre located in Bandar Teknologi Kajang, Semenyih, enables them to de-register within five minutes.
"You can even do it in the comfort of your home as the licensed AATF also provides towing service.
"Once the vehicle is de-registered, the owner no longer holds liabiliity over it," he told reporters.
Apart from easing the process of de-registering end-of-life vehicles, Loke said the initiative was also aimed at helping to reduce the number of abandoned vehicles in neighbourhoods.
The e-Dereg system allows any vehicle owner intending to dispose of his or her vehicle to de-register them online in six simple steps without having to be physically present at the Road Transport Department.
He said in Selangor alone, there are tens of thousands of derelict vehicles that not only cause nuisance to the public, but also pose environmental hazards.
"The process of scrapping these vehicles requires local councils to issue multiple notices to registered owners as they can't simply dispose of people's properties under the law.
"The e-Dereg system aims at encouraging owners with 30- or 40-year-old vehicles that are no longer roadworthy to scrap their machines as they are no longer required to be physically present at the Road Transport Department for this purpose," he said, adding that the owners only needed to furnish their MyKad and verify their identity with a thumbprint.
He said owners commonly sell their old vehicles to scrap metal dealers, which may not comply with the safety standards including the disposal of scheduled wastes in the form of vehicle fluids, while AATFs, which are licensed under the Department of Environment (DoE), comply with stringent regulations for vehicle scrapping.
He said the whole process, which covers the flushing out of the different fluids, sorting of recyclable items including tyre rims, as well as non-recyclable parts such as airbags and tyres; would take less than an hour at the AATF.
In addition, there are possibilities of the vehicles being reconditioned and even used for criminal activities, he said.
He said the initiative was following an announcement he made in 2019 involving the development of such a system.
The system covers the development of eco-system right from the deregistration process to the establishment of licensed vehicle disposal centres that comply with the set safety and environmental standards.
As a start, the e-Dereg system that was developed in collaboration with service provider E-Auto Sdn Bhd will be implemented by Car Medic Sdn Bhd, one of the licensed 10 AATFs.
Loke said there are currently 10 licensed AATFs, but only two have so far activated their scrapping facilities, with the other one operating in Shah Alam.
"We hope to see AATFs operating nationwide so that the public would not need to go far to get their services."
Loke said the initiative is private sector-driven and encouraged businesses with the capacity to invest in such facilities and apply for the license from DoE.
The ministry is planning to allow the local government to use the system to de-register abandoned vehicles, involving those that were removed under the Guidelines for the Management of Abandoned Vehicles.