PETALING JAYA: For the past year, veterinary student Amos Teng has been working part-time as a delivery rider.
He started out as a p-hailing driver at the age of 25, after having a few years of experience driving on the road.
The latest news that there are plans to amend the Road Transport Act to lower the minimum age for such riders from 21 to 18 did not faze him.
“As long as the motorists follow a set standard of rules, there’s no issue,” he said.
He also welcomed another amendment, which seeks to allow the Road Transport Department to use the High-Speed Weigh-In-Motion system, saying that it could lead to safer roads.
“If it works as intended, I do feel that having fewer overloaded lorries on the road would be good as the roads wouldn’t be damaged as easily.
“I’ll also feel safer driving on the road,” he said.
The Act will also be amended to make it mandatory for tour bus drivers to have a valid Vocational Licence, in keeping with the requirement for other drivers of express buses, stage buses and school buses.
Data visualisation designer Noah Gan, 35, said this would be a good move to avoid cases of bus drivers not even having a valid licence to begin with.
“The Vocational Licence should be displayed on the bus. This will give peace of mind to passengers as well,” he said.
However, he was concerned about lowering the age limit for p-hailing drivers, saying that younger drivers might not be mentally prepared to take on such a role.
Graphic designer Nurul Hazwani, 30, was also all for the proposal that tour bus drivers have the Vocational Licence.
“This can show that they have been properly trained. As a road user, I feel a little safer knowing that the drivers have gone through the proper training,” she said.
On the move to legalise the interim Vehicle Ownership Transfer (Temporary) from the original car owner to the used car dealer, she said this would prevent any hanky-panky by the dealers.