KOTA BHARU – Private van operators believed to be earning up to RM10,000 a month are illegally running school transport services without permits or insurance coverage, while using dilapidated vehicles that could put students' safety at risk.
Kelantan Road Transport Department (JPJ) director Mohd Misuari Abdullah said the operators were also found cramming students into their vans, exceeding the permitted passenger capacity.
"More concerning, some of the private vans used are more than 20 years old, poorly maintained and do not meet the requirements for licensing as public transport service vehicles.
"We detected more than 1,000 illegal school vans operating throughout Kelantan, with each vehicle believed to be making between four and five trips a day," he said at a press conference on Ops Kenderaan Perkhidmatan Pengangkutan Awam (KPPA) and Ops Patuh in conjunction with Deepavali 2026 here on Tuesday.
He said the activity involved drivers aged between 30 and 60 who transported primary and secondary school students along their respective routes.
He added that some operators had painted their vans orange to resemble school vans to avoid detection by authorities for operating unlicensed public transport services.
"More concerning, they carry more students than the permitted capacity, with the number reaching as many as 15 at a time.
"They pick up and transport passengers without complying with the permitted seating capacity," he said.
Misuari said the activity was uncovered following three months of intelligence gathering before JPJ launched Ops KPPA around Kota Bharu on Nov 5.
He said the operation, which ran from 8am to 5pm, targeted operators using private vans to transport school students without complying with the stipulated requirements.
"During the operation, nine private vans used as school vans were seized under Section 64(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
"A total of 20 P22 notices were also issued, involving 18 offences for misuse of Motor Vehicle Licences (LKM) and two offences for expired LKM," he said.
He said the operation recorded a total of 29 enforcement actions against vehicles inspected.
He added that using vehicles without insurance or permits not only violated the law but also posed significant risks in the event of an accident involving students.
He said vans more than 20 years old also faced difficulties obtaining licensing approval as public transport service vehicles.
"We are not looking to punish operators or find fault with them, but to educate them on the need to register and comply with regulations.
"However, after enforcement action and warnings have been issued, we will not compromise if the same offences continue," he said.