VEP starts on Oct. 1, 2024, Causeway less congested, only 25-35 mins to drive into JB

Traffic along the Causeway towards Johor Bahru, Malaysia appeared less congested on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, the day the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) scheme for foreign vehicles kicked in.

According to the Checkpoint.sg app that is popular among motorists to check on traffic conditions along the Causeway, it took roughly 25 to 35 minutes to drive into JB on Tuesday morning at about 11:30am.

Prior to the VEP scheme kicking in, it will typically take about 60 to 75 minutes to drive across the land crossing during late weekday mornings.

This was confirmed by Mothership on the ground a week before the VEP kicked in.

Traffic towards Singapore also appeared clear, as it would take about 30 minutes to make it past the Woodlands checkpoint.

Background

Foreign-registered vehicles that have yet to install the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) tags by the Oct. 1, 2024 deadline will still be allowed to enter Malaysia from Singapore, Malaysia’s Road Transport Department (JPJ) announced on Sep. 27

The announcement was made three days ahead of the VEP requirement being implemented.

This was after complaints have surfaced among Singaporean motorists about the difficulties in securing the VEP tags.

There's a caveat though: Vehicles without the VEP tag will be issued warnings.

"All Singapore-registered vehicles without a VEP may still enter Malaysia as usual,” JPJ director-general Aedy Fadly Ramli said in a statement.

“Please be reminded that warning notices will be issued to owners of Singapore-registered private vehicles without VEPs before they leave Malaysia,” Aedy added.

Aedy also noted that 62,635 Singapore-registered private vehicles had activated their VEPs as at Sep. 25.

The VEP was first announced in 2017.

However, its implementation was postponed in 2019 and 2020 due to issues with the VEP-RFID tag's installation and registration.

In this current iteration of the scheme, Malaysia's transport minister Anthony Loke has said there will be no U-turn in the policy.