The experience, the expat said, worsened when he was required to undergo motorcycle training using what he described as unsafe and poorly maintained equipment.
A US expatriate living in Kuala Lumpur took to Reddit to share his experience in a driving school.
The expat who is a seasoned drived shared that his driving appointments were allegedly scheduled months apart, with little emphasis on traffic laws or defensive driving.
”I’m a seasoned driver, but I’ve been forced into this bureaucratic nightmare where the instructor reeked of coffee and cigarettes, stood on the kerb for four hours while I drove in circles, and the only “teaching” they did was handing over a payment schedule.”
The experience, he said, worsened when he was required to undergo motorcycle training using what he described as unsafe and poorly maintained equipment.
“The bike they had me learn on wouldn’t even pass a basic inspection: The tires were flat. The low beam was burned out. The horn barely worked. And the instructor told me to leave it in second gear, don’t shift.
The expat then proposed changes to how driver training is conducted.
He suggested removing the requirement for licensed instructors and allowing experienced drivers— such as commercial driving licence holders to train learner drivers for circuit and road components.
”Lower Costs: Make licensing accessible, not a RM2,000+ “processing fee.” Increase Compliance: More people will get licensed if it doesn’t involve a 6-month wait and a lazy instructor. Safety First: Keep the JPJ final exam strict, but let the training be handled by mentors who actually care.”
The post quickly drew responses from other expatriates and Malaysians, many of whom shared similar frustrations with the driving school system.
One commenter, who said they had held a UK driving licence for more than three decades, described a comparable experience.
“Yep, I’d held a UK licence for over 30 years and still had to take the Malaysian test. The instructor was very poor. I’m not surprised that Malaysian driving standards aren’t great.
“It seems driving schools just want to get people to pass. They aren’t interested in creating safe, experienced drivers. The standard of some of the other drivers who took their test the same day as me was shockingly bad,” the commenter said.
However, another netizen pointed out that experiences can vary depending on the driving school and location.
“It depends on the driving school. Some of the bigger ones do have very long waiting times,” the commenter said.
“Back when I did my licence, I could choose whether to take the test in Segambut, which had a four-month waiting time, or Kuala Selangor, which was only three weeks. I chose Kuala Selangor.”
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