By New Straits Times
JOHOR BARU: Ten Singaporean motorists were fined RM300 each within the first hour of Malaysia's full enforcement of the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) system, which began at midnight.
Traffic was slow-moving at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex as 55 Road Transport Department (RTD) officers began stopping foreign-registered private vehicles without valid and activated VEPs.
The enforcement marks the end of a grace period that began when the VEP requirement officially took effect in October last year, the Straits Times reported.
Among the first to be fined was Safir Farhan, 19, a Singaporean student who was driving to Johor Baru for supper with his family.
He was pulled over and had to settle the RM300 fine at the RTD mobile van before continuing his journey.
"I knew this was coming, but I didn't expect it to be enforced so strictly right away," he said, adding that he had already registered for the permit and was waiting for his RFID tag to be delivered.
Despite having proof of registration, Safir said he understood the need for enforcement.
"They're just doing their job," he was quoted as saying to the Straits Times.
RTD Director-General Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli said enforcement will now apply to all Singaporean motorists driving private vehicles without a registered and installed RFID tag, regardless of their reasons for entering Malaysia.
"No more excuses.
"We announced this years ago and gave plenty of time to comply."
He also said enforcement operations will take place away from border checkpoints such as the Causeway and Second Link to prevent congestion.
Fines can only be paid using cashless methods, including at RTD counters, mobile units, and through the MyEG platform.
In the weeks leading up to July 1, there was a surge in applications from Singaporean motorists, especially after Transport Minister Anthony Loke reiterated on June 4 that the grace period would end this month.
Queues were long at VEP registration and installation centres in Johor Baru and Singapore.
On June 30, dozens of drivers crowded the TCSens VEP enquiry centre at Danga Bay, which has since begun operating 24 hours daily to handle the demand.
TCSens is the appointed vendor handling VEP matters for the Malaysian government.
Singaporean business owner Jenny Chia, 53, said she registered last November but faced issues completing the process.
She waited more than six hours for help on June 30.
Meanwhile, Aedy said that as of June 29, a total of 248,504 Singapore-registered private vehicles had registered for the VEP, although 17 per cent had yet to activate their RFID tags.
He added that 3,765 commercial vehicles had received tags out of 19,690 applications.
For this category, enforcement will be less strict.
Vehicles that have registered but are waiting for approval will only receive a reminder.
However, unregistered commercial vehicles must settle their fines and complete registration before exiting Malaysia.
"The majority of Singaporeans follow the rules.
"But for the few who don't, we have to act to ensure compliance," he said.
The VEP programme was first proposed in 2017 but faced multiple delays, including shelving in 2019 and again in 2020.
Its implementation now allows Malaysian authorities to identify foreign-registered vehicles, track unpaid traffic summonses, and ensure compliance with local road rules.
Source : malaysia-begins-vep-enforcement-10-fined-first-hour