KUALA LUMPUR: MOTORISTS may have to fork out between RM50 and RM400 more to get their driving licences when the new driving curriculum comes into effect.
The fee increase was expected to be between 15 and 30 per cent, depending on the location of the driving institutes.
The figure, which was proposed by driving institutes to the Road Transport Department (RTD) last week, was lower than the intended fee hike revealed by the New Straits Times earlier.
On Monday, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai had said the ministry would set a ceiling rate to prevent exorbitant fees being charged by driving institutes.
Following the NST exclusive report on the fee hike, Liow had said the introduction of the new curriculum would be postponed until further notice.
Malaysian Driving Institute Association president Mat Aris Bakar said discussions were held between the association and RTD, with the decision pending approval by the Transport Ministry.
The proposed fees would see students charged RM450 for a B2 class licence, RM1,000 (B full class), RM1,350 (D class—manual) and RM1,800 (D class—automatic).
The current fee ranges from between RM350 and RM400 for a B2 class licence, RM600 to RM800 (B full class) and RM1,200 to RM1,400 (D class—manual).
However, the final fees could be lower than has been proposed, pending an announcement by the minister.
Mat Aris said the figures were collated and derived from several factors involved in the running of driving schools.
“We see this as a reasonable rate, considering this would be the first fee hike in 10 years.
“We also aim to provide better driving facilities and institutes, in addition to the more comprehensive driving curriculum put in place by the department.
“The new curriculum requires a 1:1 instructor to student ratio, which means we can only take a certain number of students per instructor, as each student requires more attention,” said Mat Aris.
The new curriculum was designed to be more comprehensive and tailored specifically to the type of licence a student applies for.
Mat Aris said for driving schools in Peninsular Malaysia, the fee hike may only reach up to 20 per cent, but added that a 30 per cent increase in fees was anticipated for driving institutes located in Sabah and Sarawak.
“Fees in Sabah and Sarawak may be slightly higher, but the ceiling price will be capped at 30 per cent.
“However, this depends on the announcement made by the Transport Minister tomorrow (today),” said Mat Aris.
The final decision on the matter is expected to be announced by Liow later today.
RTD had, in previous reports, chosen not to fix prices for the new curriculum to promote healthy competitive pricing among driving institutes.
However, it is learnt that several institutes had already increased their fees to almost double the current fee and are calling for a halt to the introduction of the new curriculum.
Beginning July 5, driving schools started increasing their fees by 100 per cent, ahead of the new driving curriculum scheduled to be implemented on Aug 1.