SINGAPORE: Malaysian vehicle owners who are planning to enter or leave Singapore are reminded to make sure their Autopass cards – a customised stored-value card issued to foreign-registered vehicles – are fully reloaded.
This is because a composition sum of S$50 (S$1=RM2.99) for motorists who evade the tolls and fees at Tuas and Woodlands Checkpoints will be introduced on Aug 1, while repeat offenders will have to pay S$100.
“This is up from the S$10 administrative fee payable today (yesterday),” said Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) in its website.
LTA noted that motorists who do not pay the composition sum and who are then charged for tolls and fees evasion are liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$1,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months for the first offence.
These are some of the LTA’s measures stepped up over the last few months at both land checkpoints against evasion of payment of Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fees, fixed Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) fees and toll charges.
In the three months from March to May this year, LTA estimated that revenue loss is about eight per cent of total tolls and fees revenue.
In addition to putting up more signs leading to and within the checkpoints, LTA said the number of officers deployed for enforcement duties at
both checkpoints has been increased by close to 20 per cent to almost 100, and will be progressively increased further as necessary. According to LTA, two other approaches are concurrently being studied.
Firstly, the possibility of amending the Road Traffic Act to prohibit the entry and exit of foreign vehicles with unpaid tolls, fees, taxes, penalties or composition sums.
Secondly, strengthening controls over the collection of fees and tolls for vehicles entering/departing Singapore.
LTA also said one option being studied with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA) is the feasibility of having ICA’s drop-arm barriers lifted only when the motorist has paid all tolls and fees.
More details will be announced in due course, said the Authority. — Bernama