The use of runners to handle vehicle-related transactions such as road tax renewal and the transfer of ownership has been around for a good while, but the road transport department (JPJ) says that motorists can save money by doing the necessary themselves via the online route.
According to Penang JPJ director Adenan Md Isa, the public can perform transactions personally, as many services only need a click of the mouse to access, The Star reports. For something like the road tax, he said that users simply have to download the MyJPJ app on their phone and they can then access their road tax digitally.
“If you need a physical copy, come over to the JPJ office and we will have one printed for you at no charge. Then, you do not need the help of a third party, who may charge you more by saying that it is complicated,” he said.
Adenan said while he understood that the older generation might find going digital intimidating, he hoped their children would step up to help them. “We worry that some runners might take advantage of their clients and ask for more money even for easy tasks. Since the owner of the vehicle might be unaware, it is easy to convince them that there is a lot of work involved,” he said.
While this might be true for simpler things such as driving licences and road tax, runners are still very much in demand for transactions such as vehicle inspections, as the report indicated.
Motorist BK Khoo said that going to JPJ or Puspakom to do a vehicle inspection was time consuming, and that a runner familiar with the regulations would make the process a lot simpler. “I do not have the time because of my working hours. So, I paid a runner early this year to send my car for a test at Puspakom when I sold it. The extra money I had to fork out was worth it, as I don’t have to wake up early in the morning and wait my turn,” he told the news publication.
Meanwhile, Edward De Souza, who has been a runner for 30 years, said that despite things going digital, Malaysians still prefer to utilise runners for transactions, many of which were specialised and needed understanding of the required process. These include the transfer of vehicle ownership from deceased owners and number plate retention to a new vehicle.
In the case of the former, he said that the paperwork had to be endorsed by the court before ownership can be transferred. “Unless you do it regularly, you will not know the process,” the 65-year-old explained.
“It is a lengthy procedure for work like number plate retention, where I need to transfer one vehicle’s plate number to another. It requires the buying of a new motorcycle (a vehicle with the lowest price) so that the old number plate can be transferred to the new vehicle. You have to run around and do whatever is required, including having the vehicle thoroughly inspected,” he said.
He said there was also a market from foreigners living in Malaysia who need road tax and insurance for their vehicles. “It is a completely different procedure for them and the process is more difficult, especially if they do not understand the language. I even deal with any issues they may face when transferring ownership of vehicles,” he said.
What’s your take on runners? Would you use them to handle your vehicle-related transactions, or do you think JPJ’s digital route (via MySIKAP) makes it easy enough to attempt the process on your own? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
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