Hi,
Hope to share my experience with you all.
There’s a lot of confusion, it seems, regarding the Malaysian VEP from almost 2 years ago.
I was really confused myself, and truly wished it away…. Now that I’ve understood more and also collected the 5-year-validity RFID electronic tag, not just a sticker, I surely wish it it’d taken off earlier, of course, less the hassle of going into JB to have the tag affixed.
I got a little worry when I kept seeing signage at both the CIQ. So I applied in Nov 2018, and did not hear from the JPJ until late Dec. I had to read really carefully all the instructions – nothing is too small for me. My appointment was Jan 04, 2019
A MUST: Download Touch n Go app. First question you will be asked there is “have downloaded TnG app?”
1) Go into the JPJ website to book appointment – they would not entertain walk-ins
2) Go on the booked date earlier and not be late
3) There will be 3 or more parties there -- The JPJ, finance dept to collect the money and a contractor to fix in place the tag
4) Payment of 15RM
5) Whole process should take no more than an hour
I went into Malaysia twice since Jan 04.
Once, on Jan 26, I still needed to use the physical TnG card to pay for the 20RM VEP and 2.90RM toll charge. Last weekend, I drove up to Melaka. I again used the physical card. But nothing happened. No deduction! The barrier just lifted for me. At the breakfast table, I checked and found out that a total of 22.90RM was deducted from my TnG e-wallet balance of 100RM (which I’ve set for auto-reload when the balance is less than 20RM.) So the VEP was activated then.
Of course, I’m overjoyed, because now there’s no more need to physically topped up for the VEP. No more need to hunt down top-up stations or Watsons or even at the Plaza tolls. (I’ve also recently heard of SG motorists without VEP being stopped on the JB roads by police.) And the value in my 2 physical TnG cards (which I’ve earlier on added in in the app) were clearly shown in the app
From the QnA, I understand that now I can use the physical cards without topping them up. As soon as the value therein is insufficient or gone, the e-wallet takes over!!!
If everything is correct, as I know and now experienced, then maybe SG needs to learn from the Malaysian, and adopt a similar system – a far better and easy system.
BTW, I'm Owan and am in my mid-60
