Puspakom's monopoly on vehicle inspection services to end in 2024, gov't opening up the field – Loke – paultan.org

Puspakom will no longer be the only agency providing vehicle inspection services from next year, with the government announcing that it will open up the field to other qualified service providers once the company’s current concession comes to an end on August 31, 2024.

The announcement was made by transport minister Anthony Loke, who said that while Puspakom’s concession will be renewed, it will no longer have the exclusive rights. Presently, it is the only company undertaking all mandatory inspections for both commercial and private vehicles in the country.

As reported by FMT, Loke said matter was decided in a cabinet meeting on March 17, He added that the decision to do so was because the government wanted to promote a competitive vehicle inspection industry as well as increase efficiency, because there were only 56 Puspakom centres across the country. He said this resulted in vehicle ownere having to wait for a long time to get their vehicles inspected.

Loke said that while the cabinet agreed to extend Puspakom’s concession for another 15 years from Sept 1, 2024, the company will have to improve the quality and integrity of its inspections. The company has also been requested to modernise other aspects of its business, from the booking process and customer service to developing a training system for its staff.

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