In March last year, it was announced that Puspakom would no longer have a monopoly on motor vehicle inspection services from September 1, 2024, with the government having decided to open up the segment to other qualified companies once Puspakom’s current concession comes to an end on August 31.
Despite the opening of the field to other players, motorists needing to carry out mandatory vehicle inspections for both commercial and private vehicles will still have to utilise Puspakom’s services in the near term, as the company is the only provider at the moment.
As indicated by the transport ministry earlier today, the agency has been named as the first company to be authorised to carry out vehicle inspections under the new mechanism of the Road Transport Act (Act 333). According to transport minister Anthony Loke, Puspakom can provide vehicle inspection services at its designated inspection centres and mobile inspection services throughout the country.
He said Puspakom will continue to operate as usual, but it would now have to compete with other industry players, the Malay Mail reports. As to when these would surface, he said that the ministry is presently in the midst of vetting applications.
Loke said the response from industry players wanting to get into the motor vehicle inspection services business has been positive. He said that almost 50 companies have expressed interest in providing vehicle inspection services, having attended a briefing on the application process. Of these, two companies have having submitted official applications to obtain a licence.
“The ministry has listed out conditions for the licence, including having suitable land, technical abilities, machinery and equipment, the same conditions set to Puspakom to make it fair and square. Any company that has passed the evaluation will be issued a licence, just as we have granted a licence to Puspakom today,”he said, adding that the ministry would announce the successful applicants soon.
While the deadline for application submissions is October 31, Loke said that the ministry would keep an open view on the matter, as the New Straits Times reports. “We will see how many companies apply. If there is a need to reopen applications, we will,” he said.
Any company looking to enter the scene will be required to meet all the same conditions and regulations that have been imposed on Puspakom. These include providing services in full compliance with the scope, standards and procedures of motor inspection, appointing employees who meet the prescribed qualification requirements and using computerised inspection equipment that is regulated and approved by the road transport department (JPJ).
Additionally, vehicle inspection providers can only charge the inspection fee rate that has been set, and they are not allowed to offer vehicle repair/modification services or sell spare parts. This will eliminate workshops from the equation, with providers needing to adopt a setup similar to Puspakom.
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