Many motorists driving to Singapore still prefer physical road tax and licence

JOHOR BARU: While Malaysians do not usually need to produce their road tax or driver’s licence when they commute to Singapore for work daily, many still prefer having the physical documents to avoid potential problems.

Daily commuter Danny Cheng said he felt much safer having a hard copy of his driver’s licence.

He also displays the road tax disc on his car windscreen when driving into Singapore, where he works as a marketing executive.

“The issue of digital documents became a hot topic among my circle of friends who also travel to and from the republic daily.

“This is due to a viral video of two Malaysians receiving traffic summonses in Thailand for failing to produce a physical copy of their driving licence.

“Although we are moving towards a digital driver’s licence and road tax in Malaysia, the laws and systems are different overseas. I do not want to take the risk of getting into trouble with the authorities in Singapore,” said the 28-year-old in an interview.

Technician Muhammad Haziq Zulkifri, who rides a motorcycle across the border daily, said he opted for a hard copy of the road tax when he renewed it last month through an online insurance platform.

“Although the government is encouraging to go digital, I still prefer having a physical copy.

“With the physical document, I can easily produce it for the authorities,” said the 29-year-old.

However, another daily commuter who wanted to be known only as Sam, 34, said having a digital road tax and driver’s licence was more convenient.

On Aug 2, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said road tax stickers were still being issued but several JPJ branches had run out.

Previously, Loke announced that private vehicle owners no longer needed to display their road tax beginning Feb 10.