Malaysia unveils ‘drastic measure’ to name, shame transport firms with many unsettled traffic offences
The Transport Ministry on Wednesday (Jun 25) revealed a list of 28 commercial vehicle operators with a high number of outstanding offences, including a firm with over 22,000 unsettled traffic summonses, in a bid to improve the country's road safety.
Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke revealing a list of commercial vehicle operators with a high number of outstanding traffic summonses at a press conference on Jun 25, 2025. (Photos: Instagram/@lokesiewfook)
KUALA LUMPUR: Transport service providers with high numbers of outstanding traffic offences, including a firm with over 22,000 unsettled summonses, have been named and shamed as part of a clampdown on offenders amid a surge in fatal road accidents, according to Malaysia’s transport minister.
“This is a drastic measure we are taking after several deadly road crashes and after the public asks us what we and the Road Transport Department plan to do to address the problem,” Anthony Loke was quoted as saying by local news outlet Malay Mail.
Loke’s announcement on Wednesday (Jun 25) comes two weeks after he announced plans to build a database of bus drivers to weed out errant ones, following a fatal bus crash in Perak which killed 15 university students earlier this month.
On Wednesday, the Transport Ministry revealed a list of 28 commercial vehicle operators with a high number of outstanding traffic summonses, warning them to settle their dues promptly.
The list, which is divided into two categories, comprised 11 goods vehicle operators and 17 express bus companies, reported local news agency Bernama.
Speaking at a press conference, Loke added that the list of names will be released from time to time as a stern warning to keep bus and logistic operators in line.
“This is a warning for them to change their corporate culture (to) a culture of ensuring vehicle safety and for every driver to comply with safety standards,” he said, as quoted by Bernama.
Loke said summonses involved offences under the Road Transport Act 1987, the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board Act 1987 and the Land Public Transport Act 2010.
The five main offences were speeding, driving without a licence, technical violations, overloading and driving without a motor vehicle licence or insurance, he added.
Topping the offenders list under the goods vehicles operators category revealed on Wednesday was KDEB Waste Management, which is the project management company hired by the Selangor state government to collect waste.
According to the Transport Ministry, the firm has over 22,000 outstanding traffic summonses for various offences.
Meanwhile, for the list of commercial bus operators, Cepat Express Sdn Bhd had the highest number of outstanding traffic summonses at 540. Cepat Express services mostly southern and central-eastern routes, according to Malay Mail.
The 28 companies listed will have 14 days from Wednesday to settle summonses at the current rate, Loke said on Wednesday.
“I don’t want the public to say the RTD (Road Transport Department) only acts after an accident happens. This will be our approach now, which is to take preemptive measures so these companies will implement necessary preventive steps before a tragedy happens,” Loke said, as quoted by Malay Mail.
“This is what we want to achieve with this measure, even though it’s drastic, because the people want to see a change in culture. We don’t want another tragedy that ends up killing so many lives.”
“DRIVERS USUALLY HIDE THEM”: LOCAL FIRM WITH 22,017 SUMMONSES
KDEB Waste Management, the firm identified with the most number of summonses under the logistics category, has denied responsibility for more than 22,017 active summonses for vehicles it owns.
A spokesperson from KDEB said the firm owns around 1,400 lorries registered under its name but these vehicles are operated by subcontractors managing solid waste collection across Selangor.
“When these operators receive summonses, the drivers usually hide them and don’t pass them to the contractors or to us. In other words, KDEB has no knowledge of it,” KDEB’s managing director Ramli Tahir told local news outlet Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
“When a summons remains unpaid for three months, (then) the road transport department will issue the summons to the registered address and it ends up at our office in Shah Alam,” Ramli added.
The managing director said KDEB has paid more than 12,000 summonses issued to vehicles driven by the staff of subcontractors for various offences.
“It’s just the remaining 22,000 summonses that we’re in the process of settling now because we received them late. The operator or the driver did not hand them over to KDEB. It is possible they were hidden or discarded,” Ramli said, as quoted by FMT.
He added that KDEB would deduct the summons payment from the monthly payments made to the relevant subcontractors.
The firm also reaffirmed its full commitment to strengthening internal monitoring systems, improving communication with subcontractors and ensuring consistent and principled compliance with road laws" in the interest of the people and the nation”, reported the New Straits Times.
Earlier this month, 15 students from Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) were killed when the bus transporting them lost control after colliding with a multi-purpose vehicle on the East-West Highway near Gerik town in Perak.
The bus accident which dominated headlines happened barely a month after another crash involving a truck loaded with gravel which killed nine members of the Federal Reserve Unit also in Perak.
These tragedies have sparked calls for deep reforms in road safety.
Loke on Wednesday said naming and shaming errant transport firms will be only one of the actions to come as he pledged to reduce road accidents involving commercial enterprises.
The minister also encouraged the public to take videos of lorries or buses driving dangerously or speeding and post them online to raise awareness and assist enforcement efforts, reported the New Straits Times.
“Even if a report is not lodged with RTD, making it viral is sufficient … such videos will eventually reach us and we will act based on credible information,” he was quoted as saying.
Loke advised that videos of errant drivers should include visible number plates, company names, the location, and the time and date of the incident.
"Once we receive that (video), the (Road Transport Department) and the Land Public Transport Agency will investigate. We will ask the company to provide the GPS of their vehicle and verify their location,” he said, as quoted by The Star.
Earlier on Jun 11, Loke announced that a database of bus drivers would enable those with “previous records” to be blacklisted, which he said would help bus operators avoid hiring errant drivers who might have been sacked from another company for poor driving.
