KOTA KINABALU: The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) is also tasked to balance conflicting interests besides issuing licences, said its chairman Datuk Teo Chee Kang.
FOR THE ALBUM: Teo (seated third left) and other members of CVLB during a photo call.
“No matter what we do, it is impossible to keep satisfying everyone. On one hand, we have school bus operators who do not like their business tools be restricted by age of 30 years because it can be burdensome for them to get new ones.
“On the other hand, we also hear complaints from parents that some of the school buses are either too old, rusty or not conducive for students. Some parents also worry about the safety of their children because as a car gets old, its conditions deteriorate,” said Teo when responding to issues raised by commercial vehicle operators.
Essentially, he said the board must consider from the aspects of safety and comfort.
If the level of safety and comfort can be maintained, the age factor should be secondary, but there must be a limit.
“Operating school buses without licences is illegal. Our enforcement team is short-handed. The enforcement therefore relies on the traffic police or the Road Transport Department,” he pointed out.
“In the event that anyone finds school buses operating without licences, please make report so that actions can be taken,” he added.
Teo also urged parents not to let their children follow pirated school buses which do not go for regular inspection.
Not only safety can be compromised but in the event of any untoward incident, the insurance company may not entertain claims.
According to him, the requirement of a trading licence for new applications and renewals also concerns all kinds of individually owned taxis.
“I have personally researched on the law. We are currently looking into the technical aspects. I am confident that this issue can be resolved very soon,” he said.
On the recent claim by West Coast Taxi Association chairman Wong Nyuk Min that there are too many taxis on the street, Teo said: “That may or may not be true, but the fact is that CVLB has frozen issuance of new city taxi licence for Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau since 2005.
“Is he suggesting that CVLB should terminate some of the existing licence or reject applications for renewal in order to reduce the number of taxis?”
Recently, 18 members of the Sabah and Labuan United School Bus Association led by Kota Kinabalu District Students Vehicle Owners Association chairman Chan Vun Min called on Teo.
The representatives pointed out that their unstable income made it difficult for them to change vehicles and the relunctance of banks to offer car loans to them.
The present policy is that once a school bus reaches 30 years old, it cannot be used as school bus in line with federal policy. On application, a grace period of 12 months may be given to the operator concerned to change vehicle and the replacement vehicle shall not be older than 10 years.
The members also highlighted the unfair competition from pirated school bus operators and the need to have a trading licence as a requirement for application of new licence or renewal as almost all school buses are owned by individual operaters.