JOHOR BAHRU: Malaysia started its stepped-up enforcement of the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) scheme at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday (Jul 1), with authorities setting up a roadblock about 100m from the immigration checkpoint at the Causeway.
Enforcement officials from the Road Transport Department (JPJ) stopped Singapore motorists without a valid VEP tag or an unactivated one, and issued them a RM300 fine (US$71).
Some 50 officers started setting up the roadblock near the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar customs, immigration and quarantine complex in Johor Bahru at about 11.50pm on Monday.
CNA observed that within 15 minutes of the enforcement, about 15 Singapore-registered vehicles had been pulled over.
After the errant motorists were issued their fines, they made payment at a mobile counter on the spot.
Malaysia’s Transport Ministry had announced in June that Singapore-registered vehicles entering Malaysia without a valid VEP will face such a compound fine from Jul 1.
The ramped-up enforcement is taking place nine months after Malaysia began requiring all foreign-registered vehicles entering the country by land from Singapore to use VEPs from Oct 1 last year.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke had said in June that checks will be done through enforcement team operations outside the checkpoints to prevent traffic congestion there.
He added that these checks would be done at “various locations” within Johor Bahru, without elaborating where these would be.
While enforcement would not be done “24 hours”, he stressed that authorities would automatically know which vehicles do not have VEP.
This enforcement thus marked the end of a grace period where motorists who have yet to apply for the VEP were given warning notices.
“Let me assure all Singapore vehicle owners, they can still come in even if they do not have a VEP,” Loke earlier said.
He explained last month that errant drivers will immediately be required to register for a VEP before being allowed to leave Malaysia, so the issue of a repeat offence does not arise.
The summons will be issued to those who have not registered or activated the VEP.
They will be issued a physical compound slip and fines can be paid using cashless methods at the JPJ counters, mobile counters or online via the MyEG website.
“If they do not want to pay the compound, they want to challenge it, then they can go to court but the court can give them a fine of up to RM2,000 and six months jail because it is part of the law,” he said on Jun 2.
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