DAP Secretary General, Anthony Loke Siew Fook officially announced his resignation as Malaysia’s Transport Minister on September 19, 2026. The decision, made in protest over the conditional house arrest granted to former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, abruptly ends his second tenure at the Ministry of Transport (MOT).

Here’s a recap of some of Loke’s initiatives and report card during his time of 3 years & 9 months at MOT.

My50 Unlimited Travel Pass

Under Loke’s administration, the MOT heavily focused on direct consumer subsidies to ease the cost of living for everyday commuters. His cornerstone initiative was the continuation and expansion of the My50 Unlimited Travel Pass, capping monthly transit costs at RM50 for Klang Valley rail and bus commuters.

For students and vulnerable groups, his tenure saw the launch of the MyRailLife free travel pass for KTM Komuter users (specifically targeted at students and Persons with Disabilities). Additionally, he introduced the FlySiswa program, providing RM300 flight subsidy vouchers for public university students traveling between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan.

MyJPJ Super App, JPJ Goes Digital

The most visible shift during Loke’s second term was the aggressive push toward digital governance. Following the implementation of JPJeBid to allow the public to carry out online bidding for vehicle registration numbers, his second tenure saw the introduction of MyJPJ app on 10 February 2023.

The ministry eliminated the requirement to display physical road tax stickers and carry physical driving licenses. This move immediately reduced hours-long queues at Road Transport Department (JPJ) branches across the country for renewals.

His administration also initiated the integration of the Kejara demerit points system directly into the MyJPJ app, modernising how traffic offenders are tracked, penalised, and blacklisted for repeat offences.

PUSPAKOM no Longer a Monopoly for Vehicle Inspections

Three companies were appointed to carry out mandatory vehicle inspections while four companies specifically to handle Change of Ownership Inspections (B5/M.V. 15) for private vehicles. However, to date only CARRO & CARSOME are operational to carry out Change of Ownership Inspections (B5/M.V. 15) while the others have until early 2027 to develop their inspection facilities to receive full operational license.

MRT Women-Only Coaches, Safer Space for Women Commuters

Addressing safety and comfort for female commuters, Loke spearheaded the introduction of dedicated women-only coaches on the Rapid KL MRT network. The initiative was rolled out first on the MRT Kajang Line in late 2023 and subsequently expanded to the MRT Putrajaya Line in early 2024 to curb incidents of sexual harassment during highly crowded peak hours. While initial enforcement relied heavily on station staff and auxiliary police, his administration had recently begun drafting specific legislation to formally penalise male passengers who trespassed into these designated coaches.

Rising Accident Rates but Fewer Lorry Fatalities

Despite significant improvements in urban rail reliability, road safety remained the ministry’s greatest unresolved crisis. Overall road accidents in Malaysia continued an upward trajectory throughout his term:

• 2023: 739,877 cases
• 2024: 778,159 cases
• 2025: 790,614 cases (a record high)

Road accidents hit a record 790,614 total cases in 2025. Accidents involving motorcyclists continued to be the most lethal, accounting for over 65% of all traffic fatalities nationwide.

However, Loke’s targeted enforcement strategies has a significantly: fatal crashes involving heavy commercial vehicles dropped substantially.

• 2023: 232 fatal cases
• 2024: 260 fatal cases
• 2025: 163 fatal cases

Following intense public backlash over deadly lorry crashes, Loke empowered JPJ to execute strict telematics tracking, mandatory safety audits, and unannounced crackdowns on overloaded commercial fleets. As a result, heavy vehicle-related fatal crashes decreased by 37% between 2024 and 2025.

While Loke’s administration still have yet to alleviate traffic congestions and rising road accident rates, we must acknowledge that his efforts in improving operational efficiencies, increased public transport ridership (average daily ridership across Prasarana’s rail and bus networks rose to 1.31 million passengers in 2025, surpassing pre-pandemic level) and reduced road fatalities involving heavy vehicles.

Do you think that Anthony Loke was a performing Transport Minister? Or do you only remember him as the “Number Plate Minister”? Comment below.