TRANSPORT Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said his ministry will soon make the necessary announcements on the free licence for driving test fees for class B2 motorcycle license, taxis, buses, and e-hailing transportation.Loke was quoted as saying, the announcement will only be made after he takes cognisance of the amount of allocation provided by the Finance Ministry for that purpose.“I don’t know how much the allocation is. This is a ‘good surprise to me’. There is an additional task for me.“We will see how to implement it. We will hold a special press conference,” he said when met by the media in Parliament yesterday (Feb 24). Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the Budget 2023 presentation yesterday said the government agreed to cover the driving test fee for class B2 motorcycle license, taxis, buses and e-hailing.He said it was part of a total allocation of up to RM40 bil for the benefit of micro, small, and medium-sized business entrepreneurs.The announcement that the government will absorb license test fees is good news for the majority of motorcycle riders (B2 is for bikes below 250cc) as well as those applying for PSV licenses.However, it’s not new. The original tabling of Budget 2023 by the previous administration in October last year proposed the same idea.The B2 licence test fee is currently set at RM17 for Part 1 and RM20 for Part 2 (which includes the rental of test motorcycles and use of the test circuit).Most driving schools charge somewhere between RM500 and RM800 for taking the B2 motorcycle licence, including course fees, training sessions, and the hire of test bikes. — Feb 25, 2023
Main photo credit: Loanstreet
