All express buses must be fitted with global positioning system kits by the end of the year so that their routes and speed can be monitored.
Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar said the kits will allow the buses to be monitored from the office of the respective bus companies.
"The company can record data from the start to the end of the journey. If the bus is involved in an accident, they can see what exactly happened," he said.
Such data would be useful if it was needed by the Road Transport Department or the police later, he added.
Although express bus companies are currently not obliged to instal GPS in their buses, some companies have installed their own kits.
"Now the government wants all express buses to be equipped with a GPS.
"The GPS will be one of the issues up for discussion at a meeting later this month, but I would estimate that bus companies will be given a deadline to install the system by the end of the year," he said yesterday after opening the Johor Baru-Singapore taxi terminal.
The cabinet, he added, had also agreed to grant licences to individual taxi drivers.
Among the criteria: drivers must not be more than 60 years old at the time of application and they have to be a member of a taxi association or cooperative.
"The applicant must also be a Malaysian citizen, be free from drug abuse and not have a criminal record." said Noh.
The grant of individual taxi licences will also raise the ratio of licences owned by individuals to companies from 35:65 to 40:60.
"This move is to create more entrepreneurs and to give opportunities to more individuals to make a better life for themselves."
Individual taxi drivers will however be subject to certain rules.
"They are prohibited from leasing the taxi licence to third parties and they must specify a minimum number of hours of work.
"This is to ensure that there is a sufficient number of taxis on the road."
