This electronic driving test evaluation system is slated by the JPJ to become the norm by 2030.
Following on from its initial introduction last April, the road transport department (JPJ) has since recently announced that it will be carrying out pilot trials for its E-Testing electronic driving test system in three driving institutes nationwide.
The three driving institutes selected for carrying out the pilot trials are Surfine Hitech Driving Institute in Hulu Langat, Selangor; Pusat Latihan Memandu Berjaya in Ulu Tiram, Johor and Five Bintang Institute Abadi in Penang. Transport Minister Anthony Loke has also stated that there are currently three more e-testing service providers still in the evaluation phase, with driving institutes across the country being able to offer this testing method beginning from April.
This new E-Testing system will currently be implemented during the closed course portion of the driving test, with it used on the slope test, three-point turn, reverse parking, parallel parking, the Z-course and S-course. All evaluation will be done in real-time remotely from a control room via multiple cameras and sensors on the circuit.
Loke asserts that one of the main benefits of this E-Testing system is that it will allow more candidates to be tested (up to 150 per day) compared to the existing or manual testing system. It will also further increase transparency of driving test program by enabling candidates to review their results, not to mention too reduce the corruption that is (allegedly) prevalent within the driving test industry.
Driving institutes are currently allowed to charge a maximum of RM 100 extra for students to opt-in on this new E-Testing programme, which is not exactly the best way to incentivise users… Having said that, candidates who choose to use e-testing will receive several rather attractive benefits, with the biggest of which being for the possibility of a second attempt to be made for each failed test element on the same day at no additional cost.
What more is that the candidate only needs to do that only for failed elements, without having to repeat the entire Part II test element as per the manual test execution. Candidates who are tested using the system have been said to also be given priority in the test reservation list, not to mention a RM10 rebate for the issuance of a trial license too.
