MOT Announces New Measures To Ease Puspakom Congestion

The Star recently reported that the Puspakom Shah Alam branch in Alam Megah is experiencing a significant backlog of vehicles requiring inspection. This issue extends to other high-demand Puspakom branches, with thousands of transport companies struggling to secure timely appointments.

Given the gravity of the situation, Transport Minister Anthony Loke has engaged in discussions with the Road Transport Department (JPJ), the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD), and Puspakom to alleviate the gridlock that has been plaguing the nation's transportation networks.


One of the methods announced to ease congestion at Puspakom is the introduction of a self-declaration system for non-safety-related vehicle inspection items beginning on March 17. According to Loke, this initiative aims to expedite inspections, and reduce inspection failures due to minor non-compliance issues.
The five elements exempted from the mandatory inspection under this new system are vehicle body markings, speed restriction stickers, emergency kits, registration numbers, and passenger seat conditions for public service vehicles.

In addition, the Transport Ministry has increased the inspection period for commercial vehicles from 14 to 30 days before the Motor Vehicle Licence (MVL) expires. This revision aims to allow car owners to better plan their inspections and book appointments at Puspakom in advance, according to Loke.


“Vehicles can undergo inspections up to 30 days early without affecting the MVL expiry date or causing any financial loss to owners. The validity period of the renewed licence will still be calculated based on the original expiry date,” he said at a press conference after visiting the Wangsa Maju Puspakom today.

Furthermore, the Transport Ministry permits heavy trucks to travel on a few Klang Valley highways between 6.30 and 9.30 am and 4.30 and 7.30 pm during peak hours, as long as they can show proof of a Puspakom inspection booking sheet.
To prevent abuse of the system by middlemen or runners who resell slots for profit, Puspakom will not allow multiple inspection bookings under the same registration number. The inspection center has implemented short-term improvements, including Saturday openings this month and extending daily operating hours by four hours to a total of twelve hours daily.


With the implementation of these new measures set to take effect on March 17, the transport minister anticipates a significant boost in Puspakom's daily inspection capacity. It is expected to increase by up to 15 percent, from 13,500 to 15,500 vehicles.
Loke also revealed that the Wangsa Maju Puspakom centre, which was scheduled to close in June of this year, had been granted an extension till June 30 of next year. He explained that the decision was made because the new facility in Bukit Beruntung, which was planned to replace the Wangsa Maju branch, was not yet complete.