JOHOR BARU: The full enforcement of the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) on foreign vehicles has drawn mixed reactions from Singaporean motorists, with some adapting smoothly while others face hiccups.
A visit by The Star to the VEP radio frequency identification (RFID) tag collection centre in Danga Bay found many Singaporeans collecting their tags without issue.
Singaporean insurance adviser Celest Foo, 44, said she has no problems obtaining her RFID tag after applying as early as October last year, just months after Malaysia announced it would make the VEP compulsory.
“Once I heard about the VEP, I registered immediately and got approval within days. Despite the complaints I’ve heard, the website worked fine for me and I settled everything online without hassle,” she said.
Foo chose to have the tag mailed to her Singapore home after seeing pictures of long queues at the Woodlands VEP centre.
She activated her tag just before the full implementation and has since travelled in and out of Johor without a hitch.
From July 1, foreign vehicles entering Malaysia by land without a VEP face an immediate RM300 fine.
For 35-year-old Claire Tan Jin Ying, although the process took longer than expected due to high application volume earlier this year, she did not encounter any problem.
“I go to Johor regularly for weekend errands and meet-ups with friends, so a smooth process is important. Once my tag was approved and activated, there were no issues at the checkpoint,” she said.
Others, however, were less fortunate.
A 33-year-old surveyor named Vijay, claimed that he was fined RM300 on Aug 5 after entering Johor with an inactive tag.
“I was not aware it had to be activated by uploading a photo of my car with the tag. I thought it was ready to use when I collected it from Woodlands.
“I was told to pay S$40 (RM131.17) for the RFID, and the staff at the centre did not even tell me about the activation, despite me asking if there was anything else I needed to do,” he claimed, adding that he was also not informed about the matter via email.
A Singaporean businessman, identified as Yeo, also described the whole application process as confusing.
He deliberately entered Johor without a VEP, prepared to pay the RM300 fine, just to get a windshield-mounted RFID tag at the collection centre in Johor, only to find it out of stock.
“I ended up having to settle for the one placed on the headlamp, which I could have just ordered by mail if I had known earlier,” he said.
As of Aug 4, Road Transport Department senior enforcement director Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan said 14,379 vehicles had been inspected, with 90% of Singaporean vehicles complying with the ruling.
A total of 1,489 summonses had been issued to motorists without proper VEP installation.
