The Malaysian Insight

FOR under-the-table payments of between RM400 and RM800, e-hailing drivers are guaranteed their public service vehicle (PSV) licence without having to go through the process to obtain it.

Drivers told The Malaysian Insight that the syndicate’s “package” includes a “guarantee” that they will pass the medical exam, and their vehicles, the annual inspection.

The country’s largest e-hailing service provider, Grab, said it is aware of the scam, but pushed the responsibility of eradicating it to the Transport Ministry.

A company spokesman said its complaints on the issue have fallen on deaf ears.

An e-hailing driver, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that some obtained their “flying licence” through the syndicate.

Drivers need not attend the mandatory six hours of driving classes or make a trip to the doctor for the medical exam, he said.

They can also get the PSV licence in just three hours.

The driver said he was approached by the syndicate when he went to a driving academy to register for PSV licence classes, as per the government’s new rules for the e-hailing industry.

He said he got a call “within days” from someone who asked if he needed a package to pass the PSV licence test.

“I got the call a few days after visiting the driving school. The caller asked me if I was interested in the package, which he said was ‘not expensive, only RM400’.

“I found it affordable, and accepted. I sat the test, filled in my name, and the grade came out as a pass.”

The price range of between RM400 and RM800 includes RM150 to RM200 in “fees” for the intermediaries.

The Malaysian Insight looked into an advertisement offering the “hassle-free service” that is making the rounds on social media, and received confirmation that such services are provided.

All that is required, apart from payment, is a passport-size photo of the driver, a photocopy of their driver’s licence, their car’s “green card”, and an address to which the PSV licence can be mailed.

Drivers are guaranteed their PSV licence within three hours, or one to three working days if it is sent by mail.

Another individual familiar with the matter said drivers still need to show up in person for the PSV licence test because their fingerprint is needed to verify their presence.

In a clever manipulation of the system, he said, the test taken will be replaced with an “all correct” paper.

People with knowledge of the scam do not know for certain if the examiners are involved, but they do not rule out the possibility, saying “someone is doing a good job”.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke on September 3 said almost 87,000 e-hailing drivers had registered to apply for the PSV licence and would take the test.

Currently, 55,700 drivers have the licence.

Loke had said 44,900 of them applied through driving academies, and another 41,900 registered through the Electronic Drivers’ Service Centre.

He told a press conference on July 12 that although the deadline for the PSV licence had expired, the cabinet had agreed to extend it by another three months to get all drivers to comply.

He had warned drivers of severe punishment if they were found to have obtained the licence fraudulently.

Grab said the ministry must investigate the syndicate, and urged complainants to submit proof, including the identity of drivers who allegedly bought the licence.

“We will not respond to hypothetical questions.”

A spokesman said the onus is on the ministry to investigate such claims, adding that the issue might stem from bureaucracy and red tape.

“We have been complaining about the bureaucracy, but it has fallen on deaf ears. The e-hailing industry is a business with some 200,000 people involved.”

It comes as no surprise if some people see “other business opportunities” in it, he said.

“Cut the red tape, and drivers might not be tempted to resort to something illegal.”

An estimated 100,000 drivers have yet to obtain the PSV licence. With the package’s fees of between RM350 and RM400 per person, the scam could generate nearly RM50 million. – October 8, 2019.