Transport Minister urges over 920,000 motorists to renew expired driving licences for RON95 subsidy

PUTRAJAYA: More than 920,000 motorists with expired driving licences that are yet to reach the three-year limit are reminded to renew their licences to access subsidised RON95 petrol, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

Loke said that those whose licenses have lapsed three years after the expiration date would have to retake their driving test.

According to the minister, a valid driving licence applies to those who have renewed their document, while an active licence pertains to those who have not renewed their licence within three years of its expiry date.

“Please check your driving licenses for their validity,” he told a press conference at the ministry’s headquarters here on Wednesday (Sept 24).

Loke added that while motorists do not have to present their driving licences when refuelling, these details were already integrated with the Finance Ministry’s mechanisms.

Citing Road Transport Department statistics, Loke said those whose licences have expired in the past year made up 551,688, while those whose licences expired in the past one to two years amounted to 219,092, and some 154,641 motorists have licences that expired in the past two to three years.

He stated that following the announcement of subsidised RON95 petrol prices, the Road Transport Department had recorded up to 26,991 license renewal transactions through various channels, including the MyJPJ application, MySikap kiosks and at Road Transport Department counters nationwide.

The reminder came after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that all Malaysian citizens with a valid driving licence are eligible for the RON95 subsidy, effective Sept 30, under the Budi Madani RON95 (Budi95) programme.

Under the programme, each eligible Malaysian would be subsidised 300 litres of RON95 petrol and would pay RM1.99 per litre, instead of RM2.05 per litre, for the fuel. E-hailing drivers can apply for a higher limit.

The programme would be rolled out in stages, beginning Sept 27 for members of the police forces and the Armed Forces; on Sept 28 for Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) recipients; and on Sept 30 for every Malaysian with a MyKad and a valid driving licence.