Driving in Singapore

So you have your motorcycle in Singapore, but you don't want to push it across the border and into West Malaysia? This is how you are able to drive it around in Singapore and across the border into Malaysia without too much sweat.

If you have a carnet, you need to go to the Automobile Association of Singapore to get an International Circulation Permit (ICP) costing about SGD $60. Then you head to the LTA for an access pass costing under SGD $20. This all sounds pretty easy, but it just sounds that way. Here are the details:

1. Organise an International Circulation Permit (ICP) through the Automobile Association of Singapore (AAS) for temporary use of a motorcycle in Singapore for less than SGD $60. I recommend you get the required insurance from the AAS because it was almost impossible for me to find it anywhere else (It cost me $230 for three months but it is based on age of the driver). You must show the following:
1. Carnet de Passage en Douane (CPD) for the motorcycle.
2. Motorcycle registration certificate or card (in English or with a translation).
3. Passport of the CPD holder.
2. Head to the Land Transport Authority (Vehicle and Transit Licensing) of Singapore and purchase an Autopass Card for less than SGD $15. You must show the following:
1. AIT Carnet de Passage en Douane. (This is the tourist version of the CPD. The ATA CPD is for trade shows.)
2. Passport of the CPD holder.
3. Motorcycle insurance certificate (must be from a Singapore-based insurance company).
4. Bill of lading (surface transport) or Airway bill (for air transport).
5. Motorcycle registration certificate or card (in English or with a translation).
3. On your way out of Singapore into Malaysia, return the Autopass Card to the Immigration Booth at the Singapore-Malaysian border.

The Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) is a fee structure based on the type of vehicle, the method of entry into Singapore and the date and time that you enter and how long you stay in the country. It is designed to apply to vehicles entering via the checkpoints of Tuas and Woodlands from Malaysia, but are also applied to other foreign-registered vehicles. Although there are 10 days free, VEP charges clearly prefer the use of motorcycles (SGD $4) over cars (SGD $20). So, you want to try to minimise the time you spend in Singapore if you are a foreign-registered car, but it is not so bad if you are a foreign-registered motorcycle. This fee is also applied for crossing the checkpoints between Singapore and Malaysia and the Tuas Checkpoint is MUCH more expensive than the Woodlands Checkpoint. If you are a motorcycle, you want to enter and exit via Woodlands, because there is no charge.

The Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system is a pain in the arse, but given the size and population of Singapore, I can certainly see the requirement. It is not so much the concept, as even Brisbane has similar toll roads, but it is the method of management, relying on a government built non-RFID system that is bulky and easy to both spoof and steal (not that I did that - I am trying to ensure no problems anywhere I go). However, this system could be a lot smaller and easier to use.

Now what they didn't tell me about was the gantries that charge around SGD $5 per crossing when you cross during high peak periods. This sounds quite reasonable, however, the penalty if you don't do it right is SGD $70 per crossing. Normally, if you do not drive across the gantries within peak periods (like inbound between 6 and 9am; outbound from 5-8pm) this will not affect you, but I was driving across Chinese New Year gantries and my hostel was within the gantry entry and exit areas, so for me it was vital to consider them. The gantries around the CBD and Chinatown during Chinese New Year (and other gantries of the CBD during other public holidays and special events) are charged from about 5pm to 1am the following morning. The potential to get caught in traffic or miscalculate the times was too great for me.

You can wear it as a car - accept the SGD $5 up front or pay the SGD $5.50 (or so) per crossing - but as a motorcycle, these options are moot for a foreign registered motorcycle, meaning they cannot be applied at all. Cars can be charged this amount per crossing, but motorcycles are fined SGD $70 each crossing because they are not recognised by the system. To get around his, I sorted a temporary In-vehicle Unit (IU) for SGD $124.65 with the balance after several days being refunded at the border checkpoint. Normally you cannot get these units unless you pick them up from one of the two Singapore-Malaysian checkpoints (Tuas or Woodlands).

I was very lucky on the day I needed to get one (as the clock moved past 4.30pm, the closing time for the LTA) because a chap there had a temporary IU available for me to rent. Otherwise, I would have needed to get myself out to one of the checkpoints before I tried to cross a gantry. Since I needed to cross several gantries to get to my hotel, I decided it was best to accept the unit being offered. The IU requires a CashCard that can be purchased from participating service stations or 7-Eleven stores, which must be topped up with value before crossing the gantries or the fine is imposed. I was very lucky to read several pages into the forms I was given at the LTA to find this out, as they did not tell me anything about this when I sorted the Autopass Card.

The guys at RAM Racing Engineering warned me before I set out about the taxis. They were adamant that they were the prime threat to motorcycles on Singapore roads. I didn't really believe them, even though several of them pointed this out. I thought it was more to warn the silly overseas driver that all taxis are bad and to be wary, however in Australia at least our taxi's recognise right of way and accept minimal impact to traffic flow during operation.

This is NOT the case with Singapore taxis - be warned! Within minutes of driving on the road in Singapore, I was dodging taxi left, right and centre - I kid you not! They merge on top of you without warning and sometimes without indicators. They pull out in front of you, forcing you to brake to stop from running into them. They swerve to pick up a fare across multiple lanes of traffic and they assume that they have some sort of divine right to the road over a motorcycle. I chose not to engage with them and started to identify the mad drivers as taxi drivers.