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In a move to attract more visitors
to Singapore, especially during the year-end festive season and December
school holiday period, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Land
Transport Authority (LTA) today announced changes to the Vehicle Entry Permit
(VEP) and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) schemes for foreign-registered
vehicles1 . |
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Changes to VEP Scheme and ERP charges for
Visitors |
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The changes, to take effect from 6 December 2004,
are as follows: |
- Reduction in VEP fees from S$30 to S$20 a
day for foreign motorists driving foreign-registered cars into Singapore.
- Reduction in the VEP operating hours on
weekdays for the 6 December to 31 December 2004 period. The VEP will end at
12.00 noon instead of 7.00 pm.
- Reduction in the fixed priced ERP charges
from S$10 to S$5 a day, for visiting motorists who choose to use ERP-priced
roads during ERP operating hours but do not have In-Vehicle Units (IUs) in
their cars.
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The normal toll charges for foreign-registered
cars will still apply.2 |
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In addition, a trial to shorten the VEP operating
hours to end at 5.00 pm, will be implemented on Fridays (or Thursday if the
Friday is a holiday) in January 2005. |
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This trial is to enable the authorities to assess
the impact of the change in VEP operating hours, especially on traffic
conditions at the two checkpoints and roads in the vicinity. |
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STB's Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive, Mr Lim
Neo Chian said, "With the lower VEP and ERP fees and the extension of the VEP-free
hours, visitors, especially our Malaysian friends, will find it more
attractive to drive over to Singapore for a visit. |
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These changes are timely, as they coincide with
the exciting year-end festive season and peak travel period for many
Malaysians. I invite Malaysians to make full use of the longer VEP-free hours
during this holiday period to come and enjoy the thrilling line-up of
activities during this festive season." |
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Mr Ho Meng Kit, Chief Executive of LTA, said, "I
am pleased that LTA is able to contribute in making Singapore a more
attractive place to visit. The reduction of VEP fee and shortening of VEP
operating hours will entice more visitors to drive to Singapore. We do not
expect these changes to have a major impact on traffic flow on our roads, as
we will be lifting VEP only after 12 noon during the December school holiday
period when there is less traffic on the roads." |
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"We have also decided to implement a trial to
shorten the VEP operating hours to end at 5pm on Fridays in January next year,
so that we can better gauge the impact on the traffic conditions in Singapore.
If the trial is successful, we will consider extending the trial to the rest
of the weekdays, to assess whether this scheme can be implemented on a
permanent basis. We will continue to review our schemes to ensure that
travelling around Singapore is an enjoyable experience for Singaporeans and
visitors alike," added Mr Ho. |
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1This applies to all
foreign-registered cars and motorcycles. |
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2 Toll charges are calculated
on a per trip basis. Motorists have to pay toll charges on arrival and
departure from Tuas Checkpoint (S$3.20 per trip) but only on departure at the
Woodlands Checkpoint (S$1.20 per trip). |
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More..... |
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Joint Release by Singapore
Tourism Board and Land Transport Authority 2 Dec 2004 |
Changes to Vehicle Entry Permit scheme for visitors
