New vehicle plate series draws strong response in just five days
BATU KAWAN: The newly released “P_P” vehicle registration series has raised RM21.6mil in five days, with the number “P1P” fetching RM1.1mil at an auction.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the bidding exercise, held from April 20 to 24 in conjunction with the 80th anniversary of the Road Transport Department (JPJ), drew strong response from the public.
He said other high-value numbers included “P9P”, which went for RM1,000,777, “P8P” at RM613,000, “P6P” at RM600,777 and “P2P” at RM512,000.
“The top five numbers alone generated close to RM4mil, reflecting strong market demand,” he told reporters at JPJ’s 80th anniversary celebration here yesterday.
Loke added that despite criticism labelling him a minister who “only sells number plates”, the bidding of special registration numbers has proven to be a significant source of revenue.
He described the exercise as a low-cost initiative that generates funds for the government, with proceeds channelled into public programmes such as free helmet schemes and assistance for youths to obtain driving licences.
“All numbers are allocated through an open bidding process. There are no reserved or internally allocated numbers, and all requests for such arrangements are rejected to ensure fairness,” he noted, adding that even the Prime Minister had never applied for a special registration number.
Loke said the number “1” in standard registration series typically attracts bids averaging about RM300,000 and remain among the most sought-after.
He said the government ensures all proceeds from such exercises are channelled into the national coffers and used for public welfare and road safety initiatives.
The “P_P” series was introduced as a special edition, marking a shift in numbering format once the existing three-letter combinations are exhausted.
Under the current system, Penang registrations begin with a single letter “P”, followed by two-letter and then three-letter combinations.
Once these are fully utilised, new formats placing letters both before and after the number, such as “P_P”, will be introduced.
Loke said 4,026 numbers from the series remain unsold and would be opened for public bidding at minimum price.
He added that the exercise attracted about 19,370 bidders.
