PUTRAJAYA, Aug 2 — Several Road Transport Department (JPJ) branches have been directed to take down a notice which says JPJ is no longer issuing physical road tax for private vehicles, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

Loke said the directive was issued by JPJ director-general Rospiagos Taha to the branches which said physical road tax would not be given beginning Aug 1 this year and that customers should renew their road tax online using the MyJPJ application.

"The (road tax) sticker is still being issued. Several branches ran out of stock and put up a notice on the non-availability of physical road tax, but it is not a policy decision. We took quick action on finding out that branches have run out of stock and will continue to order new stocks,” he told a press conference here today.

Loke said the Transport Ministry had yet to set a cut-off date for the full transition to digital road tax and vehicle owners have a choice to continue using the physical sticker.

"But there will come a time when we will transform to fully digital. No decision has been made yet; it would take six months to one year before going fully digital,” he added.

Loke said according to JPJ, only 30 per cent of vehicle owners have opted for the digital road tax.

He had previously announced that private vehicle owners no longer need to display the road tax on their vehicles beginning Feb 10, 2023 and can opt for the digital mode.

He said this digitalisation can reduce congestion at JPJ offices and counters by up to 80 per cent and give savings of RM96 million a year in terms of sticker and card costs.

It is said that an average of 1.5 million vehicles need to renew their road tax every month.

Asked on the planned closure of several routes in Kuala Lumpur beginning Saturday (Aug 5), Loke said he had given his views to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that this decision should be reviewed as it could cause more congestion in the affected areas.

Although the matter is under the jurisdiction of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and not his ministry, Loke felt that there should be proper planning and engagements with the public before road closures were decided.

DBKL has announced that Jalan Sungai Besi towards Sungai Besi or Petaling Jaya (in front of Fraser Business Park) and the Loke Yew Roundabout will be closed for a year until Aug 4, 2024 to enable renovation works and construction of a bridge at the roundabout.

Commenting on the incident of a woman being molested on the Maluri LRT station platform in Kuala Lumpur last Friday, Loke said the male suspect had been arrested by police after receiving treatment at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

He said Prasarana Malaysia Bhd had been directed to step up security at LRT stations.

According to media reports, the woman was suddenly grabbed by a stranger before members of the public went to her aid. — Bernama