PUTRAJAYA: A backlog involving some 17,000 vehicle entry permit (VEP) applications will be resolved in the coming weeks, says Anthony Loke.
"The backlog was caused by a surge in applications when I announced in May that the VEP would be enforced from Oct 1.
"A total of 23, 649 applications were submitted in just one month against 15,422 applications for the whole of last year," the Transport Minister told a press conference here on Monday (July 1).
ALSO READ: Vehicles from abroad need entry permits from October
He added that 6,120 VEP tags had been issued over the past month, with the backlog to be resolved within the next two to three weeks.
Although the process of obtaining a VEP tag takes between three and five days after applying, he said the sheer volume of requests had resulted in the backlog.
From Oct 1, anyone driving a foreign motor vehicle without a VEP can be fined up to RM2,000 or imprisoned for up to six months upon conviction.
An estimated 145,000 vehicles cross the Causeway between Singapore and Malaysia every day, making it one of the busiest land border crossings in the world.
To further improve the process, Loke said VEP applications can be made online without the need for an existing tag.
ALSO READ: Singaporeans' VEP status from Oct 1
He also said notifications will be sent to VEP holders 60, 30 and 10 days before the expiry of their respective permits.
Loke said the headcount for employees responding to email had been increased from five to 10 and at the VEP collection centre, from seven to 12.
To make it more convenient for road users, Loke said an Open Toll Payment System (OPS) will begin operations on Aug 1.
He said the system will allow vehicle owners, particularly from Singapore, to rely on their debit or credit cards as an alternative to Touch & Go payments along highways.
On another matter, he said the fee for a vehicle ownership certificate (VOC) has been reduced from RM50 to RM20 in Peninsular Malaysia with effect from Monday.
He said the fee for the VOC in Sabah was reduced from RM25 to RM20 while it remains the same for Sarawak.
