LETTER | I was granted a public service vehicle (PSV) licence to drive taxis after attending an interview at the RTD in the 1970s when I was a tourist guide cum limousine driver but did not renew it after taking up office jobs.

In 1992, I went for a similar interview but this time I wanted to add minibus and taxi driving to my PSV licence. After passing a driving test using a tour company’s minibus. I obtained the licence but again allowed it to lapse.

In 2000, I had to enrol for a course at an approved driving institute which included training for on-the-road and slalom driving plus classroom briefing before being allowed to take practical and written tests to obtain my PSV licence.

The practical training was unnecessary as my skills were better than the instructor and I had 31 years of a clean driving record under my belt. I passed the objective tests using a thick Malay-English dictionary.

I drove metered taxis from 2000 to 2010 and continued to renew my PSV licence until I allowed it to lapse this year as I have no plans to drive taxis or private e-hailing vehicles.

From January next year authorised instructors attached to e-hailing and taxi operators will be allowed to conduct training for PSV licence aspirants using a new six-hour module. In the past, those who wish to drive taxis paid around RM800, spent nine hours on theory lessons and five hours on practical training before they sat for tests to obtain their PSV licence.

Since the cabinet has agreed to the new six-hour training module, we should make the best of it. Firstly, there should be minimal briefings so that more time could be spent on training, assessment and the written test.

It will be a waste of time to read out a long list of dos and don’ts as such information could be posted in a website for trainees to access, read and remember and seek clarification during training so that they can pass the written test and apply what they have learned at work.

Training should be centred on interpersonal communication skills, displaying courtesy and handling difficult people and situations. Every trainee should be individually interviewed to assess their mental health, which could be ascertained within five minutes using simple techniques.

Taxi and e-hailing operators would take training more seriously if they are made accountable for the behaviour of their drivers. If not, the PSV licence would continue to be a mere bureaucracy with no real value for drivers and passengers.

It is common knowledge that many PSV and Goods Driving Licences (GDL) are renewed without proper medical examination but a crackdown could cripple our transport industry overnight.

Meanwhile, passengers are at risk as e-hailing drivers using private vehicles are not insured for legal liability for passengers. If these drivers have no means to pay, it would be pointless to sue them for injuries suffered in the vehicle as the insurance company will not pay any compensation.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.