PUTRAJAYA, Sept 30 — Malaysians who are required to hold a Singapore driving licence for work will be made eligible for the Budi95 targeted fuel subsidy scheme, Transport Minister Anthony Loke clarified today.
Loke said the government has acknowledged complaints from Malaysian workers in Singapore — such as bus, lorry, and port truck drivers — who must surrender their Malaysian licence to obtain a Singaporean one as required by the island republic’s regulations.
“These groups are citizens of Malaysia, they live in Johor and commute daily to work in Singapore. When they return, they drive their own cars or motorcycles that are registered and taxed here.
“They should not be excluded from receiving Budi95,” Loke said at a press conference.
He explained that Singaporean law prohibits holding two driving licences simultaneously, forcing Malaysians in certain occupations to convert their licences to work there.
Loke confirmed that the matter was raised in Cabinet last week, and it was agreed in principle that these workers are entitled to the subsidy as they remain Malaysian citizens.
However, implementation will take some time due to data privacy laws. Loke explained that Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) does not share personal data with Malaysia, making automatic verification impossible.
To resolve this, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) is now developing a dedicated online registration system for Malaysians holding Singapore licences.
“This will take one or two weeks to build, after which we will announce the registration process,” Loke said, urging the affected group to be patient.
Foreign vehicle ban unchanged
Loke took the opportunity to reiterate that while these drivers will be eligible, the ban on subsidised fuel for foreign-registered vehicles remains unchanged, regardless of who is driving.
“Our rule is very clear: if you bring in a foreign vehicle, even if you are Malaysian, you cannot pump RON95. You must use RON97,” he stated, clarifying that this applies to all vehicles from Singapore, Thailand, and elsewhere.
He added that the exact number of Malaysians holding Singapore licences is currently unknown, though there are between 200,000 and 250,000 daily crossings at the Johor-Singapore border.
