Malaysia starts enforcing VEP from July 1; 10 Singapore drivers fined in first hour

Malaysia began enforcing the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) requirement for Singapore-registered vehicles on Tuesday (July 1).
A total of 55 officers from the Malaysian Road Transport Department (JPJ) were stationed outside Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) customs, immigration and quarantine complex at midnight, according to a Facebook post by JPJ.
The video posted by the department shows officers pulling over Singapore-registered cars without a VEP tag and writing the drivers up.
Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on June 4 that Singapore-registered vehicles entering the country without a valid VEP from July 1 will be fined RM300 (S$91). The drivers will have to pay the fine and complete their VEP registration before leaving Malaysia.
Ten Singaporean motorists were fined within the first hour of enforcement, reported the New Straits Times (NST).
Addressing the media at BSI complex, JPJ Director-General Aedy Fadly Ramli stated that VEP tags will now be required of all Singaporean motorists driving private vehicles, regardless of their reasons for entering Malaysia, reported NST.
"No more excuses. We announced this years ago and gave plenty of time to comply," he said.
Aedy also said enforcement operations will take place away from border checkpoints such as the Causeway and Second Link to prevent congestion.
Fines can only be paid using cashless methods, including at JPJ counters, mobile units, and through the MyEG platform.
He urged all Singaporean registered vehicle owners to immediately register, install and activate the VEP tag to avoid any convenience when entering or exiting Malaysia, reported Bernama.
"We welcome the presence of Singaporeans in this country. Generally, they comply with the rules, but there are still a few who have not registered and activated the VEP," he said.
Aedy added that motorists can also activate their tags at the 24-hour Danga Bay VEP centre or online via the MyEG portal before attempting to cross the borders to obtain and activate the tag, reported The Star.
Over 206,000 private vehicles and 3,765 company vehicles have reportedly activated their VEP tags as of June 29 but 42,416 tags remain inactive.
Leading up to July 1, there was a surge in VEP applications from Singaporean motorists.
Snaking queues were seen at VEP registration and installation centres in Johor Baru and Singapore.
On June 30, dozens of drivers crowded the TCSens VEP enquiry centre at Danga Bay, which has since begun operating 24 hours daily to handle the demand, reported The Straits Times.
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