Only 45,000 Singapore vehicles have registered for VEP

Only 45,000 Singapore vehicles have registered for the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) levied on foreign cars entering Malaysia.

State Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman, Datuk Hasni Mohammad admitted that the VEP registration system still needed some improvement.

"Only 45,000 foreign vehicles have registered for the VEP compared to the expected 500,000 vehicles.

"The two weeks starting Aug 15 did not allow all the foreign vehicles to be registered online or over the counter," he said after visiting the VEP registration counter at Sultan Iskandar building.

Sept 1 is the first day of the trial period for the VEP.

VEP registration has been extended to Oct 1 to enable the delivery of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cards and approval by the authorities in both countries.

"It is not just to provide comfort to those who have registered but also to ensure that all the rules and regulations are adhered to," Hasni said.

He said as many as 200,000 to 230,000 vehicles of various types went through the two checkpoints weekly.

From Aug 15, motorists could register online and pay a RM10 fee for a five-year period before the Road Transport Department (RTD) issues the RFID cards.

Once registered, the vehicles would be allowed to enter Johor for free for one month from Sept 1 to Sept 30.

Motorists will have to pay RM20 for VEP for each entry from Oct 1.

The VEP is levied on all passenger vehicles (including MPVs and SUVs).

Government vehicles, motorcycles, public buses and taxis are exempted from payment but still need to register with RTD.