Securing of license a concern

By SHARLYNE ERI
THE long process involved in securing PMV licences is a contributing factor to the increase of white-plated Public Motor Vehicles (PMVs) operating in the Port Moresby,  according to Land Transport Department senior transport inspector Max Napita.
Napita said the process involved an application for a PMV licence through the Land Transport Board (LTB) for authorisation which was then passed onto officers in the Land Transport Department to facilitate the transaction of converting the vehicle into a PMV.
“We have to perform certain business transactions with the Transport Department and Motor Vehicles Insurance Limited (MVIL) beforehand.
“As you can see there is a long process involved before an aspiring PMV operator receives a PMV licence,”he told The National.
He said another factor delaying PMV owners a licence was the fact that the LTB held meetings on an irregular basis.
“In one year, the board sits only four times so the interval is like three or four months  and then you see the result.”
Napita said most PMV buses were operating through bank loans and owners had to make fast money to meet the repayment deadline.
“You cannot expect a PMV owner to sit around waiting for the LTB to approve their licence and the process of converting the private vehicle to a PMV, he cannot sit around and wait that long,” Napita said.
Napita said white plates were for private vehicles only and PMVs operating in the urban routes were supposed to have orange or red plates.
“PMVs travelling outside routes such as the highways required a blue plate,” he said.