This comes after KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd, a solid waste management company owned by the Selangor government, blamed its 22,017 outstanding summonses on its drivers’ failure to hand them over.

“Summonses are summonses. The operating permit is issued to KDEB, not the drivers. When the vehicle is slapped with a summons, the owner has to take responsibility.

“How they manage their drivers is an internal matter,” Loke said at a press conference here.

He added that it was up to KDEB to determine how it planned to pay the unpaid summonses.

Yesterday, the minister revealed that 11 commercial vehicle operators had been found to have over 1,000 outstanding summonses, including 17 express bus companies with more than 200 each.

KDEB topped the list with 22,017 active summonses for offences such as technical violations, driving without a valid licence, overloading, operating without a vehicle permit, and speeding.

The companies were given 14 days to settle their outstanding summonses.

KDEB managing director Ramli Tahir told FMT that the company owns nearly 1,400 lorries registered under its name, operated by subcontractors managing solid waste collection across Selangor.

Ramli said the drivers who were issued summonses would usually hide them instead of passing them to the contractors or the company, leaving KDEB in the dark.