The Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) has announced that it is increasing the age limit for vehicles used for e-hailing and taxi services. Previously, cars older than 10 years weren’t allowed to be used for these purposes, but with the new rule, APAD allows vehicles up to 15 years old.
According to the agency, the new age limit will be applicable to all vehicles in the taxi and e-hailing classes nationwide that have reached their maximum lifespan of 10 years as of 1 January 2023. This increase of five years means that drivers providing services under those categories can prolong the use of their vehicles before needing to purchase a new one.
Of course, the extension still does not exclude the older vehicles from having to meet all of Puspakom’s vehicle inspection standards. For e-hailing, it is mandatory for vehicles over three years old to pass an inspection and go through a periodical inspection every 12 months until they reach the age limit.
However, while the new age limit is applicable for both taxi and e-hailing vehicles in Semenanjung, it only applies to e-hailing vehicles in Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan. For taxis in east Malaysia, they will still have to abide by the 10-year vehicle age limit.
The APAD stated it hopes that taxi and e-hailing industry players would improve the quality of their services following the extension, which is effective immediately. It added that the move was made by the Transport Ministry in an effort to push the taxi and e-hailing industries to improve the country’s transport system.
In recent months, the APAD has been cracking down on e-hailing operators who have not been following the set regulations. Maxim’s office in Kuantan got raided after the government discovered that most of its drivers did not have an active E-Hailing Vehicle Permit (EVP), but the company later addressed the issue by explaining that its drivers just forgot to renew their existing permits.
(Source: APAD/Twitter)
