About 150,000 Malaysians, or 0.88% of nearly 17 million people eligible under the BUDI MADANI RON95 (BUDI95) program, have yet to update their Malaysian Driving Licence (LMM) details by providing their new identity card numbers.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said these individuals fall into three categories: those who previously applied for an LMM using old identification documents such as the former IC number, birth certificate number, or police and military ID; holders of military or police driving licences who have not converted them into an LMM; and licence holders whose IC numbers contain errors or “red flags” that require further verification.
He urged those affected to visit any Road Transport Department (JPJ) office for fingerprint verification to ensure they are not excluded from receiving fuel subsidies.
“The Ministry of Transport is fully committed to assisting all eligible Malaysian citizens in updating their LMM data. Once updated, the information will be submitted to the Ministry of Finance for verification with the National Registration Department (JPN). If there are no issues, their details will be added to the BUDI95 system,” Loke said at a press conference on Tuesday.
He also called on retired police and army personnel who still hold military or police driving licences to convert them to an LMM to avoid complications and to ensure they can benefit from the BUDI95 subsidy scheme.
From today, around 16 million Malaysians aged 16 and above, holding a valid MyKad and an active driving licence, are entitled to purchase RON95 petrol at a subsidised price of RM1.99 per litre, compared to the market price of RM2.05. Eligible individuals will receive a monthly quota of up to 300 litres of subsidised fuel, based on studies by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Loke noted that about 70,000 people are still using old IC numbers, meaning the BUDI95 system cannot recognise them. “When they go to refuel, they won’t get the subsidised rate. They might panic or question why they’re not eligible, but the truth is they just haven’t updated their details yet. So please, check your IC number first,” he explained.
For Malaysians holding Singapore driving licences, Loke said JPJ is currently developing an online registration system for them, expected to be completed within one to two weeks. “We cannot integrate data with Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) because it’s under a different jurisdiction. We ask for a little patience while this issue is resolved,” he said.
Meanwhile, applications for LMM renewals have surged since the announcement of BUDI95, rising from an average of 17,000 applications per day to 27,000.
