Malaysia discriminating against Singapore vehicles: MOT

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Transport (MOT) said today (Aug 4) it will consider matching the vehicle entry fee that Malaysia is imposing from Oct 1 on private vehicles entering its borders from the Republic.

Noting that the fee “discriminates against Singapore vehicles”, an MOT spokesperson said in response to TODAY’s queries: “We note that... Malaysia’s new vehicle entry fee will be imposed only on foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia via Johor. This discriminates against Singapore vehicles, and we will consider matching it in some form after we have studied its implementation.”

The MOT also said it is requesting more information from the Malaysian authorities on its new requirement for Singapore vehicles to pre-register before entering Malaysia. “Such costs and inconveniences could discourage Singaporeans from going to Malaysia, in particular Johor, for leisure purposes such as shopping, entertainment, sight-seeing, holiday, et cetera,” its spokesperson said.

Over the weekend, Malaysia’s The Star newspaper reported Malaysian Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi saying that from next month, Singapore vehicles going to Malaysia are required to register with the country’s Road Transport Department or they would be barred from entering. Mr Aziz also said that Malaysia is aiming to roll out a second phase of the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) system covering the Malaysia-Thailand border by the middle of next year.

The mandatory registration applies to all private vehicles, public buses, taxis, goods vehicles as well as diplomatic cars, and vehicle owners are required to pay RM10 (S$3.60) for the road charge, which is valid for five years.

Separately, from Oct 1, Singapore-registered private passenger vehicles will have to pay RM20 per entry for the VEP. The VEP for foreign vehicles was previously scheduled to begin on Sept 1, after it was postponed from Aug 1. Payment can be made only with Malaysia’s Touch ‘n Go card.

In August last year, Singapore raised its entry permit charges — for the first time since 1994 — for foreign cars and goods vehicles. The Land Transport Authority had explained that the increase sought to “equalise the cost of owning and using a foreign-registered vehicle in Singapore with that for a Singapore-registered vehicle”.

In response, Malaysia raised the tolls at the Causeway in the same month. Two months later, Singapore followed suit, as part of a long-standing policy that ensures a fair distribution of total revenues from the crossings.

The tit-for-tat has left motorists on both sides of the Causeway feeling the pinch.

On the pre-registration requirement, Singapore motorists said it was not too much of a hassle as it can be done online. However, the higher cost — with the implementation of the VEP — will make them think twice about crossing the border.

Civil servant Ryan Chong, 27, goes to Johor an average of six times a month to buy groceries and pump petrol for his car. Adding that he could cut back on his trips, he said: “I thought the implementation of this additional fee was quite unnecessary as they had just increased the tolls last year.”

However, marketing executive Serene Ng, 29, who heads to Johor two or three times a month for cheap massages, seafood and car washes, will continue doing so. “I don’t think it will affect me much because I don’t go that frequently anyway... And if this reduces traffic at the customs, that’s even better,” she added.