Reinstate SPAD-like powers to fix land transport failures

New Straits Times

2 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must re-establish a centralised statutory body with the authority once held by the now-defunct Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to address deep-rooted failures in land transport governance, says transport policy expert Wan Agyl Wan Hassan.
Following recent fatal crashes in Gerik and Teluk Intan, Perak, Wan Agyl who previously served as SPAD Operation Group, Head of Policy and Planning, said that despite its imperfections, SPAD was the only agency with a comprehensive mandate over land transport, covering licensing, planning, enforcement, and reform.
That clarity of mandate, he said, had been lost since SPAD was dissolved.
"What we are seeing in the wake of these tragic crashes is not merely an enforcement failure — it is a governance vacuum.
"Malaysia urgently needs a central authority akin to SPAD, empowered to plan, regulate, enforce, and reform the entire land transport system.
"At present, responsibilities are scattered across multiple agencies with overlapping but uncoordinated mandates. That is why serious safety lapses continue to fall through the cracks."
Wan Agyl said it was unacceptable that operators with hundreds of outstanding summonses were still permitted to operate, with enforcement only occurring after lives were lost.
"It is time to return to a single, empowered and accountable authority that can drive long-term transport policy, not just react to crises," he said.
SPAD was dissolved in 2018, with its functions absorbed into the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD), which now operates under the Transport Ministry.
Wan Agyl, who is also the founder of the transport think tank MY Mobility Vision, said the administrative restructuring had weakened Malaysia's capacity to manage complex, cross-agency transport issues.
Unlike SPAD, which developed the National Land Public Transport Master Plan and coordinated closely with state governments, APAD no longer leads on long-term strategic planning, he said.
"Key public safety reforms have stalled. For instance, the master plan has not been updated in over seven years. We still lack an integrated system to track operator safety performance — even after multiple fatal crashes involving repeat offenders."
Acknowledging that SPAD had its shortcomings, he said its dismantling resulted in a loss of institutional continuity and accountability.
"What we need is not the return of SPAD in name, but a revival of its core function — a professional, independent, data-driven authority with the legal powers to prevent tragedies, not just respond to them."
He added that it should not take another fatal incident to highlight the need for centralised, transparent, and technically capable leadership in transport governance.
"Parliament must act with urgency. This new body should retain the planning and policy responsibilities previously held by SPAD, but be strengthened with internal oversight, digital monitoring tools, and clearly defined coordination with the ministry, JPJ, and state authorities.