S'pore motorists fined in Johor for having VEP tags, but not realising they've to be activated

Many owners of Singapore-registered vehicles were fined by Malaysia on the first day of enforcement of the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) requirement.

Those who got flagged had failed to activate their tags, despite having pasted them on their cars.

From Jul. 1, foreign motorists entering Malaysia without a valid VEP tag will face a fine of RM300 (S$91), Bernama reported.

They may also be stopped from leaving Malaysia until the fine is settled and the tag is activated.

However, as of Jun. 29, over 40,000 VEP tags for individual private vehicles in Singapore had yet to be activated, which makes up 17 per cent of the 248,504 tags issued to this vehicle class, according to Malay Mail.

Didn't know about activation step

"I got the label half a year ago and thought I just had to stick it on. I had no idea there was an activation step," Xie Zhichun, a car owner, who was issued a ticket, told Lianhe Zaobao.

The 67-year-old retiree had visited Malaysia intending to go shopping with his relatives, but faced a fine when he was found with his VEP tag not activated upon crossing Tuas Checkpoint at 1pm on Jul. 1.

He was later directed to activate his tag at the main office of TCSens, the vendor appointed by Malaysia’s Road Transport Department (JPJ) for VEP registration and installation, which is in Danga Bay.

Not that simple

According to Zaobao, 55 officers from JPJ were deployed and began enforcement at midnight on Jul. 1, with 50 drivers fined in the first four hours.

A spokesperson for TCSens told the publication that the VEP tag’s packaging includes a reminder for car owners to activate it, indicating clear steps on how to do so.

Car owners may also log in to their VEPAMS account to check the activation status of their tag.

The spokesperson added that TCSens’ main office now provides round-the-clock service, and is expected to issue 3,000 labels and provide installation services to over 300 car owners daily: "Compared to October last year, we are more prepared this time and can better respond to the needs of car owners."

It seems, however, that acquiring a valid VEP is not that simple.

Interviewees told Zaobao that they had issues with the online application portal, which one car owner said hanged multiple times when he used it, resulting in him visiting a VEP centre more than once in the lead up to Jul. 1.

Another car owner explained that he resorted to using a third-party service to help him with his application after it failed repeatedly.

“It’s much faster to use an agent. My application was approved in two or three days,” he said.

He added: “There are a lot of steps that you wouldn't know how to complete if you did it on your own. The process is not that simple.”

Long wait times

The Straits Times reported that on Jun. 5, the day after Malaysia announced the VEP’s enforcement, motorists flocked to VEP centres in Woodlands, Singapore, and Danga Bay, Johor Bahru.

There were constantly 40 to 60 motorists waiting in line, seeking assistance to register via the VEP’s online portal and activate their tags.

Speaking to Zaobao, Wang, a car owner, said he received his queue number at 7pm on Jun. 30, but only had his tag installed at 10am the next day.

The publication noted that many car owners had similarly rushed to have their tags installed in the final minutes before enforcement action kicked in.

Mothership readers with a story to share on their VEP experiences can do so via email at [email protected].

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Top image via Google Maps