A security guard in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, was reprimanded by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) recently after he was caught running an illegal private school van service.
The man, however, was not using a van for his illegal business.
Instead, he used a Perodua Alza MPV and charged 6 students RM100 monthly each.
Business expanded after fetching the neighbour’s kid
JPJ took action against the man in his 30s for misusing his driver’s license to run an illegal private van service, in which he used to fetch the kids from school.
The investigation also found that the man’s vehicle insurance and road tax had expired, meaning that he had been driving around without a valid road tax.
According to the man, he had been running the business for a year now, and it expanded after he started to fetch his neighbour’s kid.
He said he did it during the day because his income as a security guard was not enough.
All six of them are the children of his neighbours.
“Various risks occur if these vehicles are involved in an accident”
Negeri Sembilan JPJ director, Hanif Yusabra Yusuf, said that the excuse of giving a lift to a neighbour’s child is often used by drivers when they are stopped for further inspection.
What was initially not intended to be a business changed in time after they saw the demand that came with certain offers, reported Sinar Harian.
“Usually, these people will charge lower prices compared to licensed operators, and that is why they are the choice of many parents,” Hanif said.
“Just like illegal school van operators, various risks may be faced if these vehicles are involved in an accident while transporting school students.”
Another risk is in terms of safety because these vehicles may not be maintained regularly, and drivers are not trained to operate or manage passengers because they do not have a vocational license (PSV) for the purpose of carrying passengers.
Hanif said that anyone who wants to carry out school bus services must use a school bus that has a license/permit issued by the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD).
