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Latest information for those planning to drive to Singapore when the border reopens next month

With the border between Malaysia and Singapore due to be opened for free movement between the two countries from April 1, 2022 (that’s next Friday), many may be making plans to drive down. It has been two years since the border was closed off when the COVID-19 pandemic started and apart from shopping, many would also want to go and see relatives and friends.

Apart from the usual immigration requirements, the regulations for driving a vehicle into Singapore have not changed. You still need a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) for each vehicle and unlike before when you could drive up to the checkpoint at Tuas or Woodlands, you must now do so prior to arrival and you can only do it online. This is to be done at the OneMotoring, the website of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) which also has all the information required for entry and driving around Singapore. Those who are unable to show the confirmation email from the LTA will be denied entry.

*All applications must be done online now at the Land Transport Authority’s website known as OneMotoring. It also contains information on driving in Singapore and all the charges you have to pay.*

It goes without saying that your vehicle’s roadtax and insurance must be valid, and with regards to insurance, Singapore law requires passenger liability insurance to be included. This is usually an ‘add-on’ option for motorists in Malaysia so you will need to contact your insurance company and ask for the inclusion (which will carry a small charge). If you regularly drive to Singapore, then it would be a good idea to just make it part of your policy renewal each year. Details of insurance and roadtax will have to be provided and kept updated at the LTA website.

VEPs have validity period of 14 days which starts on the date of the vehicle’s entry into Singapore, and thereafter on the date of payment during VEP renewal. To extend your vehicle’s stay in Singapore, you will need to renew your VEP.

VEP fees are waived for the first 10 days in each calendar year and on Saturdays, Sundays and Singapore public holidays, or if you enter Singapore from 5 pm and exit by 2 am the next day. During Singapore’s June and December school holidays, if you enter Singapore from 12 noon and exit by 2 am the next day, you also do not have to pay VEP fees. If VEP fees are applicable, the charge is S$35 a day for cars and $4 a day for motorcycles.

You also need an Autopass card to pay for parking and charges for their Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) scheme. The Autopass card is like our Touch’Ngo card and has a stored value which can be reloaded at convenience stores. It can also be used for purchases at many places.

Unlike before when you would be given an Autopass card (which has a validity of a certain number of years) at the entry point, the LTA now instructs motorists to collect their Autopass card (if they do not have one and have applied for it via the website) on the Johor side. The LTA has a service centre in Johor Bahru at 34, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak Susur 1, 80000 Johor Bahru which handles this.

There are certain areas in Singapore which motorists must pay charges to use (ERP) and these charges vary according to the time of the day. The LTA offers two ways to make the electronic payments – either a flat rate for an entire day or rental of a unit like a SmartTAG (which uses the Autopass card. The flat rate option is convenient as nothing needs to be done and no fee (S$5.15/day + refundable deposit of S$124.65) has to be paid for the device. Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras will detect your vehicle when you pass under the gantries and the charge will be made which is to be settled when departing. The flat rate allows for any number of passages through ERP areas which is very convenient for those who are not familiar with the roads.

There are charges for using certain roads in Singapore under the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system. You have two options to pay the charges – a daily flat rate or renting a device and paying whenever you do enter an ERP zone.

It is important to note that Singapore is very serious about settlement of fines for offences, and they are very efficient at record-keeping (‘don’t play-play‘, as the Phua Chu Kang always advises). So if you committed an offence 2 years ago or are not sure if you have any outstanding fines to pay, you can check at this website. If you have committed an offence, you would normally be stopped before departure (it’s a small country) but if you managed to ‘escape’, the record is still there and if you return with the same vehicle, you will be asked to pay the fine and if you do not, you will be detained until you do.

Be sure that you e-wallet (for RFID) or Touch’NGo card have sufficient balance to cover the toll charges on the highways. You can check the amount of toll you will have to pay on the route you are planning to use at the PLUS website.

In anticipation of a significant increase in the volume of VEP applications, the LTA has been carrying out a system upgrade on its website since March 24 and the expected downtime will be until March 30, 2022. Vehicle owners will be able to access the system from March 31, 2022.

Travellers are advised to plan at least 2 weeks ahead of their intended travel dates to allow sufficient time for VEP application and approval. The LTA says that processing may take a longer during this period so it hopes that those who are only going to Singapore for a holiday can defer their plans so that others who have more important needs can have faster processing.

Naturally, all travellers must also be fully vaccinated and adhere to whatever pandemic-related procedures are in force in Singapore. Full vaccination means having at least 3 doses and if you have not gotten the third booster dose, do so even if you are not going out of the country. After March 31, 2022, the Health Ministry has warned that the status of those who have not had their third booster dose will be downgraded to partially vaccinated which might prevent them from entering certain places.

Have a safe journey and remember, social distancing and facemasks are still required.

‘Journey into the Vast’ gives Lamborghini owners in China a chance to enjoy motoring again

In spite of the ongoing global pandemic and many countries having restrictions on movements, it appears that Lamborghini owners in China can still enjoy motoring in their supercars. The carmaker’s subsidiary in China recently held the Esperienza China Giro ‘Journey into the Vast’ which saw 42 of the supercars travelling over 800 kms in the northwestern region of the country.

An iconic annual event since 2015
This is the seventh time since 2015 that the Lamborghini Esperienza Giro China has been run. It has become an iconic annual event of the brand, bringing Chinese customers an exclusive and extraordinary driving experience in an exploration of China’s spectacular landscapes.

This year, the 5-day journey started from Yinchuan and passed through the colossal Helan mountain range with its distinct peaks and valleys, experiencing local culture and beliefs with blessings at the Fuyin Temple. The fleet then came to the expansive desert as the tranquil red light of the setting sun fell on the Yellow River and the stars started to shine in the darkening skies, and drove along the stunning Route 66 of Zhongwei to reach the quaint ancient villages of Beichangtan.

Finally, the fleet came to the Tonghu Grassland with its unique beauty of desert, lake and oasis; and then visited the Lanzhou Danxia Geological Park to enjoy the precious sight of the red bed of Danxia against the blue skies and steep cliffs.

Fun in the sand for Urus owners
In the Tengger Desert, owners of the Urus got to try its off-road capabilities, especially with the Sabbia (sand) mode. With its active torque vectoring, the Super SUV still offers the agility and precision on sand dunes even though there is reduced grip. Of course, for owners of other models, this fun exercise was not available.

The event also included a ‘Lamborghini night’ in the depths of the desert. The owners stayed in the Desert Star Hotel that beautifully integrates regional and modern design elements, immersing themselves in the natural beauty of the desert’s green oasis, starry skies, and rustling sand.

In Japan too, Lamborghini has kept the spirt of motoring alive with its cross-Japan project known as UNLOCK ANY ROAD JAPAN. Using only the Urus SUV, the event had media as participants and the route was more than 6,500 kms. It started at the end of April and ran for around one month. Starting from Fukuoka in the south, the route passed through cities such as Hiroshima, Kobe, Osaka, Nagoya, and Kanazawa and then travelled north along the Sea of Japan to reach Tokyo.

Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 makes first public appearance at Auto Shanghai 2021

Malaysian motorists can now find out toll charges on Waze

Paying toll to use highways is part of motoring life these days, an added cost to motoring which is supposedly for quicker travel from A to B. There are alternative routes where you don’t have to pay toll but they will be more congested and if time is valuable to you, then paying the toll might be better to avoid jams.

However, toll charges vary on the different highways operated by nine concessionaires and if you are travelling across the Klang Valley using their highways, you will have different charges to pay. If you want to save some money, you could check out the toll charges along your route and compare the rates. But this means visiting a few of the concessionaires’ websites to get the information which is troublesome.

Toll Prices feature added
Now Waze makes it easier for you with the launch of its Toll Prices feature in Malaysia. One of its most requested features, Toll Prices will enable users to view and compare toll prices before or when they are driving along tolled routes. The feature, which is compatible with high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes, is automatically enabled and users will see a Toll tag on the route if it includes a toll road.

The Toll Prices feature will help drivers make better planning decisions by giving them visibility of prices ahead of time, enabling them to compare prices of different routes. At the same time, they can also compare the estimated times of arrival (ETAs) to see if the savings are worth it.

Info through efforts of Waze community
This hyperlocal feature is only possible due to the work of Waze’s volunteer community of over 30,000 monthly active map editors. The 6 volunteers from the Malaysian Waze community who played a part in this latest feature for Waze were Kadyus, Kweeheng, Rickylo103, EpailXi, Izuaniz and Lutfi_bihar. They helped collect and input toll price information, underscoring once again that Waze is truly people-powered and community-driven.

“We are delighted to bring Toll Prices to Malaysia. Thanks to the phenomenal efforts of our volunteer community, we’ve been able to make one of the most requested features on Waze a reality. Until now, Waze was trying to reduce your time spent in traffic – now, we’re also helping our users save as much money as possible by giving them the absolute best choice of routes, based both on ETA and potential costs of tolls along the way. We look forward to continue working with our community to make this feature available in all markets,” said Moriah Royz, Waze Product Manager.

Click here to download the Waze app, if you don’t already have it.