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JPJ has appointed a vendor company – TCSens, which has an office in Danga Bay, Johor Bahru, to handle queries from Singaporean drivers.
When CNA visited the TCsens office last month, about 40 people were waiting in line after receiving their queue tickets. Some expressed dissatisfaction with the long waiting time.
Mr Tan of Sgcarmart urged drivers in Singapore to recognise that “administrative processes are different” in Malaysia.
“I think it’s easy for us to take for granted that we are used to the Singapore way of doing things, which is very clear and the steps are very clear. But when it comes to dealing with the Malaysian authorities, there will inevitably be gaps,” said Mr Tan.
“I do think Singaporeans should probably be a little more patient. I don’t think we are very patient people in general, so I think that might have something to do with that,” he added.
“Part of living with the neighborhood”
Observers also pointed out that it is important for Singaporean drivers to respect and comply with the VEP policy changes, especially as Singapore has also implemented VEP for Malaysian vehicles.
The Singapore government requires Malaysian drivers to hold a valid VEP during their stay in Singapore.
They need to apply through the Land Transport Authority’s One Motoring website and submit documents such as their passport, vehicle registration certificate and vehicle insurance.
The VEP fee is waived for the first 10 days, but thereafter the driver will have to pay S$35 (US$26.03) for each day the vehicle is in Singapore.
Mr Hezeri pointed out that Malaysians working in Singapore are required to apply for a VEP when using private cars to travel, and Singaporeans should understand that this is not a new concept.
“The Malaysian government not only uses the VEP to collect fines from Singaporean drivers who violate the rules, but also uses it for urban planning and to monitor the number of cars entering the country,” said Mr Hezeri.
“It is also used to protect our borders,” he added.
Mr Tan stressed that Singaporean drivers have to deal with this extra enforcement because as tourists, they have to comply with the policy changes implemented in Malaysia.
He noted that part of the dissatisfaction among Singaporean drivers stems from the fact that the Malaysian government had wanted to implement the VEP several times over the past decade, but was delayed each time due to certain factors.
Malaysia initially hoped to begin implementing the VEP in October 2017 under the leadership of then-Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai. However, the implementation of the plan has been delayed several times due to technical issues with the portal and poor implementation of land checkpoints during the pilot project, which caused traffic congestion.
These previous delays have set precedents for some frustrated Singaporean drivers.
“If you look at Malaysia’s history, it has always wanted to implement VEP but then kept postponing it, it has failed before and it may fail again this time,” technical salesman Ben Lee, 49, told CNA in June.
However, Mr Chen sees it differently.
“I think there might be some kind of shock or discomfort – now I have to deal with this extra step. But I think the reality is, it’s part of living with your neighbors,” he said.
“I think (Singaporean drivers) should not feel held back because they have one more thing to do in their lives. Because if this is a decision made by the Malaysian government and we as Singaporeans want to enter Malaysia, we also have to comply with the requirements,” he added.
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