MOTORISTS in Singapore who have inquiries about Malaysia’s Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) must make an appointment before they can visit the newly opened information counter in Woodlands.
Ng Poh Heng, the acting manager of Singapore firm MY VEP, which operates the information counter here, told The Straits Times (ST) that the move to stop walk-ins was in response to the large crowds that have flocked to the third floor of 186 Woodlands Industrial Park E5 seeking help with their VEP applications.
Since Aug 30, visitors to the Woodlands counter must have made an appointment online via the website, https://www.myvep.com.sg/appointment
To make an appointment, motorists must enter personal information, including their name and vehicle registration number. They can then choose a time slot by the hour between 9am and 5pm.
Checks by ST found that appointment bookings are open only for the next three weeks, from Sep 2 to Sep 20. As at 8pm on Aug 30, appointment slots from Sep 2 to 9 are full.
Ng said the move to make the information counter in Woodlands strictly by appointment only is aimed at freeing up staff, so that they can help with VEP-related inquiries.
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The counter has six staff including Ng, but due to the large number of walk-ins since the counter opened on Aug 19, two to three of them have had to spend their time managing the queues outside the office instead.
With capacity to handle only 100 motorists daily, the counter resorted to giving out queue tickets, which typically ran out by about 9.30am over the past two weeks. The office operates only on weekdays from 9am to 5pm.
“People came as early as 6.30am. I would reach the office at about 8.30am, and by then, the queue would already be very long,” Ng said. It was reported that more than 200 drivers turned up on the opening day on Aug 19 alone.
Ng said those who were turned away were asked to provide their e-mail address to get a link to the new online appointment system when it was up and running. On Aug 29, an e-mail with the link was sent to more than 1,200 people.
“We set up the online portal to be fair and make sure people can plan,” Ng added. “Everything was in such a rush… We will be improving the booking system, but the bottom line is that people can make appointments now.”
The rush comes after an announcement in May that all foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia from Singapore by land must use a VEP from Oct 1.
Motorists without a valid VEP, which acts like an identity card for foreign vehicles in Malaysia, risk being denied entry into Johor or fined up to RM2,000 (S$600).
Before the counter in Woodlands was opened, Singapore motorists had to travel to Danga Bay, Johor Bahru, if they needed help.
But even with the new counter in Woodlands, there has been frustration among drivers not just about the queues there, but also about the limited range of services.
Singaporean drivers interviewed by Malaysian newspaper The Star said they hoped the office here, which is operated in collaboration with Malaysian Transport Ministry-appointed vendor TCSens, can also facilitate VEP applications and installation of the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. THE STRAITS TIMES