From January 1 next year, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will increase the daily fee for the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) for foreign vehicles. For cars, it will go up from $35 (SGD, about RM108) to $50, while motorcycles will see an increase from $4 to $7. The 10 free days per year and the weekday free period will be cancelled.
Lianhe Zaobao reported that the LTA announced this news in a statement on the 6th. The fee for foreign-registered goods vehicles will also be raised from January next year, from $40 per month to $70. The last time the permit fee for foreign goods vehicles was increased was in August 2014.
The statement said that the LTA regularly reviews fees for foreign-registered vehicles to reflect changes in costs for Singapore-registered vehicles. In recent years, the cost gap between the two types of vehicles has continued to widen, so it is necessary to raise the VEP fees for foreign vehicles, as well as the permit fees for foreign goods vehicles.
Installing OBU Smart On-Board Unit
Singapore will also, starting from January 1 next year, fully implement the new generation of gantry-free Electronic Road Pricing system (ERP 2) to collect road charges. At that time, all Singapore-registered vehicles must be fitted with a smart on-board unit (OBU), otherwise it will be illegal.
Foreign-registered vehicles may choose to install the OBU at authorized local workshops between April 1 and December 31. The OBU costs $158.70 (inclusive of GST); workshops will charge additional installation fees, the same as for Singapore vehicles.
From January 1 next year, foreign vehicles entering Singapore without an OBU installed will have to pay a fixed road fee on the day ERP is implemented; motorbikes will pay $3 per day and other vehicles $10.