JB malls to house more VEP centres, with 50 Singapore drivers warned for failing to register: Malaysia transport minister

JOHOR BAHRU: Malaysia aims to open more Vehicle Entry Permit centres – including at Johor Bahru malls – to facilitate the installation of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, said the country’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke on Thursday (Oct 3).
The three VEP centres in Johor Bahru and one in Woodlands have mostly been overwhelmed by drivers’ enquiries and requests for help with tag installation.  
“Shopping malls in Johor Bahru have come forward to offer their venue for RFID installation. So we will work with any parties who are interested to help us to help drivers so they don’t have to wait at the centres … (they) can go shopping and within two hours can come back and collect their (tags),” said Mr Loke. 
When pressed on which malls will be offering this service, Mr Loke said that they will be announced “soon”. 
Mr Loke added that only Singapore drivers who have not registered for VEP will be issued warning notices at the border. 
Those who have registered and are waiting for their RFID tags will not be issued warnings.
Drivers who have received warnings may re-enter Malaysia during the current phase of VEP enforcement, he affirmed.
Since Oct 1, the Malaysian authorities have checked 678 cars and issued 50 warnings in the form of slips of paper to drivers leaving Malaysia for Singapore, he said. 
For cars entering Johor Bahru, a reminder flashes on LED screens adjacent to the immigration booths. 
Mr Loke was speaking at a press conference at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar immigration complex where he observed Road Transport Department (JPJ) officers enforcing the VEP policy. All foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia by land from Singapore are required to use VEPs from Oct 1. 
“I hope that the Singaporean car owners and car drivers who are coming into Johor Bahru understand firstly, the implementation of the VEP in Malaysia has been announced months ago, but we are taking a very gradual approach in terms of the enforcement,” said Mr Loke. 
“For those car owners who have already applied, they have nothing to worry (about), because our gadgets will know whether they have applied or not. We will not issue you any warning notice. We will not issue you any reminder. 
“The warning notice will only be given to those car owners who have yet to do anything, have yet to submit any application,” he added. 
Mr Loke did not say when Malaysia will begin to fully enforce the policy.
“When we start our second phase of enforcement, we will give you sufficient notice,” he said. 
The Malaysia government had previously said motorists who fail to install a VEP may be fined up to RM2,000 (US$484) or jailed for up to six months.
Mr Loke said as of Sep 30, Malaysia has issued 112,658 RFID tags to drivers, of which 75,412 have been activated. 
The VEP was first announced in 2017 with the aim of tackling car theft and cloning syndicates, and to prevent vehicles from leaving the country without paying fines for traffic offences.
Full enforcement was initially set for 2019 but it was delayed multiple times.
After Mr Loke announced in May that all foreign-registered vehicles entering the country by land from Singapore would be required to use VEPs from Oct 1, many Singapore drivers scrambled for the permits and fretted when they encountered problems. 
Long queues formed at a vendor in Johor Bahru that installs the RFID tags and handles in-person enquiries.
To cope with the demand, Malaysia subsequently opened a similar centre at Woodlands and two more in Johor Bahru that expanded the tag installation capacity five-fold. 
On Sep 27, four days before the start of the VEP enforcement, JPJ announced that it would be “executed in phases” and Singapore cars yet to install VEP tags by the Oct 1 deadline will still be allowed to enter Malaysia.
Drivers will be issued a reminder at the land borders to “quickly” register, install and activate their RFID tags, while a warning notice will be issued to vehicle drivers before they leave Malaysia if they have still not installed their VEP.