THE Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) was established after the passing of the Public Land Transport Commission Act of 2010.
Its first chairman was Tan Sri Dr Syed Hamid Albar and its CEO was Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal, and both were appointed by the prime minister.
The commission was given an adequate budget to transform public land transport and it started without being bogged down by bureaucracy and old baggage or legacy issues. SPAD succeeded in assembling a large group of professionals, many with overseas education and wide exposure.
I was fortunate to have met and interacted with many of these executives in numerous forums, discussions, meetings, and training.
In 2013, I participated in a taxi fares review session and proposed that budget taxi rates be increased by 44% for distance covered and 40% for time. In 2015, budget taxi fares were increased by 44% and 45% respectively but it was too late. In August 2014, Uber introduced e-hailing in Malaysia using private cars with rates that were 50% lower for starting fare, 63% lower for distance, and 70% lower for time than prevailing taxi fares.
Earlier, I was appointed to conduct training for 1,000 Teksi 1Malaysia drivers in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor Bahru.
SPAD arranged for each of these selected drivers to receive a RM5,000 grant for the purchase of a Proton Exora and a permit to license the small MPV as a taxi.
I qualified to conduct training, as from 2000 to 2010, I drove metered taxis in the Klang Valley, and from 2010, I started writing about taxis and e-hailing in 2014.
By 2020, I had written several hundred published letters on the above subjects, probably more than all others combined.
I was told my letters were not only read by senior SPAD officers as soon as they were published but they also prepared for answers in case they were called up by the chairman for discussions.
Syed Hamid was indeed an active and dynamic chairman, far from being a seat warmer.
Hence, much was accomplished within a few short years, including transformation plans for buses, taxis, and trains, but derailed in 2018 by the new Pakatan Harapan government.
SPAD was reduced to the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) and enforcement was absorbed by the Road Transport Department (JPJ).
In June 2015, SPAD’s enforcement division brought 85 drivers of private vehicles for hire to court. Earlier, it impounded many private cars and vehicles licensed under “Hire and Drive”, which were meant to be driven by customers, not to be used for chauffeur-driven services.
In contrast, JPJ was then clueless about the goings-on as their enforcement officers could only spot ‘kereta sapu’ (pirate taxis) which was a prominent feature for many decades in towns and rural areas where public transport was lacking or was non-existent.
In 2016, the cabinet approved the Taxi Industry Transformation Programme with 11 initiatives that included regulating e-hailing services.
In 2017, the Dewan Rakyat endorsed amendments to the Land Public Transport Act 2010 and CVLB Act 1987, granting legitimacy to e-hailing services.
The above milestones are just some of the many accomplishments by SPAD, made possible by empowerment, budget, and talents.
There have been calls to revive SPAD, just like calls to build the high-speed rail (HSR) to connect Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and catalyse further growth.
Both are eventually needed. If SPAD were to be revived earlier, public land transport in our country would be developed sooner and better.
Similarly, costs would be lower if the HSR is built earlier and the spin-offs would cause a chain reaction and multiplier effect on our economy.
Now back to the poser: Would SPAD 2.0 be just as competent and efficient? The answer is yes if given the same empowerment, budget, and talents as before.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Many of the former senior staff would return to complete their unfinished work with zeal. – Dec 31, 2024
YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.
https://focusmalaysia.my/would-spad-2-0-be-just-as-competent-and-efficient/
Created by savemalaysia | Dec 31, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Dec 31, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Dec 31, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Dec 31, 2024