Loke said those with driving licences that had expired for more than three years would not only have to sit for their driving test again, but also forfeit the fuel subsidy offered by the government from Sept 30.

He said that according to the road transport department (JPJ), 2.4 million of the country’s 15 million licence holders no longer have active licences, while 925,421 have expired licences for under three years.

“If it’s less than three years, the licence is still valid. But don’t wait until it lapses.

“Today the licence is active, tomorrow if it expires, it becomes a problem. Then the government gets blamed when people face difficulties claiming subsidies,” he told a press conference here today.

Beginning next Tuesday, the government will provide up to 300 litres of RON95 petrol per month at RM1.99 per litre for all Malaysians aged 16 and above with valid driving licences.

Since the subsidy programme’s announcement on Monday, JPJ has recorded 26,991 CDL renewals through the MyJPJ app, the mySikap portal, kiosks, and counters nationwide.

Loke stressed that holding a valid licence was a key condition for receiving the RON95 subsidy.

“We don’t want subsidy applicants to miss out simply because their licence is inactive,” he said.

The government will launch the www.budimadani.gov.my portal at 9am tomorrow for users to check their profile and monthly quota balance.

E-hailing drivers may also apply for additional quota ceilings through the portal.

For further enquiries, the public may contact the Budi Madani hotline at 1300-88-9595.