SEREMBAN: Students' lives are at risk when parents choose unlicensed school bus services.
These buses are often painted and made to appear like legitimate school buses to deceive enforcement officers and confuse parents.
Not only is safety an issue, but illegal school buses create unfair competition for licensed service providers too.
Farabi Said Al Jabri, 41, said that currently, parents find it difficult to verify the status of school bus or van services because there is no such platform.
"In terms of protection, if anything happens, like an accident, these students are not covered because the vehicle's status is for personal use, not public transportation.
"In fact, from the perspective of safety and comfort, these unlicensed vans or buses do not follow the permitted specifications and do not undergo Puspakom inspections," he said.
He suggested that authorities, especially the Road Transport Department (RTD), provide a facility to allow parents to check the status of school bus services.
Mohd Yaacob Muhammad, 52, a father of a primary school student, said most parents are unaware of these illegal services.
"Typically, parents use the bus services operated by drivers who live in the same neighbourhood or nearby without investigating their background.
"Most parents themselves do not know about this, and it might be somewhat inappropriate to ask the driver whether they are operating legally or not," he said.
The actions of illegal school bus and van operators are believed to be aimed at deceiving the authorities and confusing parents so that their services appear legitimate.
Meanwhile, Negri Sembilan RTD director Hanif Yusabra Yusuf said that demand from parents is the main factor why such unlicensed operators are still in business despite frequent enforcement activities.
He said that Seremban and Senawang have been identified as areas with the most illegal school van operations in Negri Sembilan.
"However, we do not have exact data on the number of operators involved. Enforcement is always carried out on all categories of vehicles, including illegal vans transporting students without valid permits.
"They are still using the same modus operandi, which is to paint the vans the same colour as the licensed school buses to confuse parents and authorities," he said.
He said those found committing such offences can be prosecuted under Section 23(2) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for misuse of a motor vehicle licence.
"Upon conviction, they can be fined not less than RM1,000 and not more than RM10,000 or imprisoned for a term not exceeding two years, or both."
He said operators should obtain valid permits from the Land Public Transport Agency to continue their services without breaking the law.
Hanif added that parents should use van and school bus services with valid permits to ensure the safety of their children.