Malaysia’s VEP rollout: Singapore drivers say no reminders issued so far, lighter traffic at Causeway

JOHOR BAHRU: Drivers in Singapore had fretted for months ahead of Malaysia’s Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) policy kicking in, but its implementation got off to a quiet start on Tuesday (Oct 1).
Traffic was lighter than usual at the Woodlands Causeway and drivers entering Johor without the permit said they did not receive any reminders from the Malaysian authorities.
In addition, drivers who have received a warning may continue to make subsequent trips into Johor, a senior official from Malaysia’s Road Transport Department (JPJ) who heads its operations in Johor told CNA.
This is because Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport has not set any restrictions barring any driver from entering, said the official, who declined to be named. CNA has sent queries to the ministry. 
CNA spoke to a dozen drivers without a VEP who headed into Johor from Singapore on Tuesday morning. 
According to them, the Malaysian authorities did not issue any reminder at the Causeway. This was despite the JPJ announcing on Sep 27 that drivers without a VEP would receive a reminder when they drive into Malaysia from Oct 1, and will receive a warning notice before they leave Malaysia.
Mr Paval Khemlani, who crossed the Causeway at around 8am on Tuesday to go to Kuala Lumpur for a business meeting, said he did not receive any reminder despite not having a VEP – a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag – installed. 
The 32-year-old only applied for a VEP two days prior and could not complete the application and installation process before Oct 1. 
“I was told that I would receive (a reminder) but so far when I entered, I did not receive anything,” said Mr Khemlani. 
“There was no jam, and it’s my first time travelling across the Causeway during this time and there is no congestion,” said the owner of an events company. 
Technician Ridhuan Abdullah was also pleasantly surprised by the light traffic at the Causeway and took only 15 minutes to clear immigration on both sides. 
Mr Ridhuan applied for his VEP tag last month and his application is still pending. 
“I did not receive (any reminder) and the traffic is smoother than normal. It’s possible some drivers are (cautious) and adopt a wait-and-see approach before they drive in,” added the 42-year-old. 
According to the “Beat the Jam” mobile application, a service which tracks the traffic situation at both the Woodlands Causeway and Tuas Second Link, the estimated time for motorists to travel across both land crossings was between 15 and 20 minutes, significantly below the average of 40 to 50 minutes, based on data from a week ago. 
According to a Home Ministry official, traffic volume at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex, linked to Woodlands Causeway, was 20 per cent lighter on Tuesday morning, reported Malaysian news outlet The Star. He did not specify the basis of comparison.
The official said that it was too early to say if the dip was because of the VEP implementation. 
Transport minister Anthony Loke had announced in May that Malaysia would require all foreign-registered vehicles entering the country by land from Singapore to use vehicle entry permits (VEPs) from Oct 1. 
The VEP would enable the government to track foreign vehicles that enter or leave the country, and get motorists to settle outstanding fines before they are allowed to leave.
Any foreign motor vehicle without a VEP entering or in Malaysia from that date faced a fine of up to RM2,000 (US$425) or jail of up to six months. 
But many drivers encountered hiccups getting hold of a VEP, and the JPJ announced on Sep 27 that enforcement would be “executed in phases”, starting with reminders and warnings from Oct 1.
Malaysia has not confirmed when it will fully enforce VEP requirements. 
In a Facebook post at around 11.20am, JPJ’s Johor division said that it has issued reminders to drivers with no VEP entering Malaysia via the Woodlands Causeway. 
The post also featured senior officials, including the senior director of its operations department Kifli Hassan, surveying the enforcement operations. 
The photos showed reminders displayed on LED screens at immigration booths as the drivers paid their road charge and toll entry fees. The words “VEP not registered. Pls register now” flashed on the screen, with an adjacent QR code linking to the VEP portal. 
The JPJ also posted a screenshot of what appeared to be an internal phone application with data on whether a car had registered for the VEP and the number of warnings it had been issued. 
The crowd at VEP centres in Johor Bahru were smaller on Tuesday morning compared to previous weeks.  
At the centre in Danga Bay, operated by transport vendor TCSens, there were roughly 40 drivers collecting their tags or making enquiries. When CNA visited the centre two weeks ago, there were at least 100 people, including a long line of drivers waiting for a queue number.   
One of the drivers there on Tuesday morning was Mr Peter Soh, who was there to collect and install his tag. 
Mr Soh had completed his application with the help of a service provider, Singapore firm Innox Group. 
He said he turned to Innox because his vehicle’s VEP registration was tied to its previous owner.
He added that he was relieved to finally complete his application process. 
“I’d read that drivers coming in may be issued a warning but also that those with no VEP yet can come in as usual. Based on that, I came in good faith,” said Mr Soh. 
“The government is giving us some time to get this done … rather than enforcing the law,” he added.
The JPJ senior official maintained that warnings would be issued from Tuesday to drivers without VEPs at either the land checkpoints or elsewhere in Johor Bahru.  This will be increased gradually over the coming month, he said.
“But at the same time, we don’t want to scare Singapore drivers from coming in. We hope they continue to do so and also come in to have their VEP tag installed at the VEP centres,” added the official.
Meanwhile, drivers who already have VEP tags breezed into Johor without worry on Tuesday.  
One of them was retiree Abdul Aziz, who said he installed the tag in 2017 when the policy was first announced and renewed it in 2022. Each VEP registration is valid for five years. 
“Today I came in and the sensor detected the RFID tag (at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar immigration booth) so I could just drive through.”
He had taken along a TouchNGo card in case the toll system did not detect his car’s RFID tag, but did not need to use it.
“Back in 2017 when they were trialling the RFID tag, the system would malfunction all the time … it’s better these days,” he said.