JPJ has appointed a vendor company – TCSens – which has an office in Danga Bay, Johor Bahru to handle queries from Singapore drivers.
When CNA visited the TCsens office last month, there was a crowd of around 40 people waiting for their turn after collecting a queue ticket. Some expressed dissatisfaction over long waiting times.
Sgcarmart’s Mr Chan urged drivers from Singapore to acknowledge that Malaysia has a “different administrative process”.
“I think it’s very easy to take for granted that we are used to the Singapore way of doing things which is very clear, (the steps are clearly) dictated. When it comes to dealing with Malaysia authorities, there’s inevitably going to be a gap,” said Mr Chan.
“I do think it’s probably prudent for Singaporeans to maybe exercise a little bit more patience. I don’t think we are very patient people in general so I think that probably comes into it,” he added.
“PART OF CO-EXISTING WITH A NEIGHBOUR”
Observers also noted that it was important that Singapore drivers respect and adhere to the policy changes around the VEP, especially since Singapore has enforced VEP for Malaysian vehicles as well.
The Singapore government requires Malaysian motorists to have a valid VEP for the duration of their stay in Singapore.
They are required to do so by applying on Singapore’s Land Transport Authority’s One Motoring website and submitting documents such as their passport, vehicle registration certificate and vehicle insurance.
VEP fees are waived for the first 10 days but motorists are then required to pay S$35 (US$26.03) each day the car is in Singapore thereafter.
Mr Hezeri noted that Malaysians who work in Singapore have been required to apply for the VEP when they use their private vehicles to travel over, and that Singaporeans should understand that this is not a new concept.
“VEP is not just used by the Malaysia government to collect fines from errant Singapore drivers, but it is used for urban planning, to monitor the quantity of cars that has entered the country,” said Mr Hezeri.
“It is also used to safeguard our borders,” he added.
Mr Chan stressed that Singapore drivers must deal with this extra layer of enforcement because as visitors and tourists, they must adhere to changes in policy Malaysia has imposed.
He noted that the frustrations from Singapore drivers partly come from the fact that the Malaysia government had wanted to enforce VEP at various points over the last decade, but that there had been elements postponing it each time.
Malaysia initially wanted to implement the VEP from October 2017 under then-transport minister Liow Tiong Lai. However, the implementation of the scheme has since been delayed several times due to technical issues with the portal and poor implementation at the land checkpoints during a pilot project which resulted in congestion.
These previous delays have set a precedent for some frustrated Singaporean drivers.
“If you look at the history of how Malaysia keeps wanting to implement VEP, but then keeps postponing, it has been a flop, and this time might be a flop again,” said Mr Ben Lee, a 49-year-old technical salesperson, who spoke to CNA in June.
However, Mr Chan takes a different view.
“I think that there might be a certain element of shock or discomfort – that now I have to deal with this extra step. But I think the truth of the matter is that this is part of co-existing with a neighbour,” he said.
“I don’t think (Singapore drivers) should feel encumbered just because they have one more thing to do with (their) lives. Because if that’s the decision the Malaysia government makes, and as Singaporeans, we want to enter Malaysia, we have to adhere to these requirements as well,” he added.
