A total of 1,489 summonses were issued to Singapore-registered vehicles that entered through Johor without the required Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) tag so far in a month, said Johor's Road Transport Department (JPJ) on Aug. 3.

Enforcement action began in earnest since Jul. 1.

The fines added up to RM445,800 (S$135,980), Bernama reported JPJ Senior Enforcement Director Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan telling reporters on Aug. 3.

Each driver was fined an average of about RM300 (S$91).

The number of offenders made up around 10 per cent of the 14,379 vehicles inspected by JPJ during the month-long operation conducted at various land border checkpoints between Johor and Singapore.

These drivers were found to not have installed and activated their VEP tags, according to Muhammad Kifli.

On the Sunday night that he was speaking, 15 new summonses were issued, he added, according to The New Straits Times.

"Unaware" that enforcement had kicked in

He said the majority of these drivers gave "a similar excuse — that they were unaware the Malaysian government had begun enforcement, mistakenly believing [they] were still in the advocacy phase".

Originally scheduled to start in October 2024, the VEP implementation deadline was delayed.

Then on Jun. 4, Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that full enforcement of the VEP system at the Singapore-Malaysia land border would begin on Jul. 1.

Zero tolerance

There will be"zero tolerance" with no more warnings, Muhammad Kifli emphasised.

Drivers found without a valid VEP have been fined immediately and required to settle them on the spot.

Most of these drivers complied immediately by installing and activating their VEP, Muhammad Kifli said, though one was initially not cooperative.

However, when the officers moved to seize the driver's vehicle, the driver relented, and proceeded to pay the fine and register the VEP.

As of Jul. 31, a total of 277,930 VEP tags had been issued to owners of Singapore-registered vehicles, both private and company-owned, up from the 268,194 issued by Jun. 29.

Enforcement operations by JPJ will continue until further notice, according to The New Straits Times.

"We will continue to inspect Singapore vehicles at key locations frequented by Singaporeans," Muhammad Kifli said.