Make public your fees, driving institutes told
SERIAN: All driving institutes in Sarawak are advised to publicly reveal the amount of fees being charged for driving tests.
In making the call, Sarawak Road Transport Department (JPJ) director Mohd Syafiq Anas Abdullah, said such action would enable parents and those who wish to obtain their driving licence to know exactly how much they need to pay.
He added that making the fees public would also avoid negative perception from the public of being deceived by driving institutes.
“While the department (JPJ) is aware that many driving institutes have to incur additional cost, which may involve transportation, they need to make it public the amount being charged to avoid the perception that driving institutes are charging exorbitant fees,” he told reporters after launching LiaMarc Driving Institute in Tarat, near here yesterday.
Syafiq added that driving institutes were also offering different packages for students until they pass their driving test, saying that such packages must also be made public.
He said the department had received complaints that many driving institutes were charging students between RM1,800 and RM2,000 for Class D (motorcar) until they pass.
The ceiling fees to obtain motorcycle licence is RM400, automatic car RM1,250 and manual cars RM1,200.
There are 27 driving institutes (10 still under construction) and 12 driving schools across Sarawak. Many of the driving schools are located in rural areas and in towns.
Syafiq also told reporters that the e-testing system, which had been introduced in Johor Bahru, would eventually be extended to Sabah and Sarawak.
He thus challenged LiaMarc to become the pioneer driving institute in Sarawak to adopt the system.
Under the system, sensors, cameras and other components replace the role of testers. The process is mostly automated, which also measures the competency of drivers.
Meanwhile, a board member of LiaMarc Driving Institute, Abang Alli Bolhassan, said the institute was built at a cost of RM4 million on a six-acre parcel of land.
Previously, the institute was operating at KM75 Sri Aman-Serian Road for 16 years.