Budi95 Pathway Coming For Malaysians With Singapore Driving Licences

Malaysians working in Singapore who are required to hold a Singapore driving licence will soon be included in the Budi95 fuel subsidy scheme, Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed today.

Loke said the government has recognised complaints from workers such as bus, lorry, and port truck drivers, who must surrender their Malaysian licence to meet Singapore’s legal requirements.

“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,” he told Malay Mail.

He explained that Singapore law bars individuals from holding two licences at once, forcing Malaysians in certain jobs to convert theirs. 

The matter was raised in Cabinet last week and approved in principle, with consensus that these workers remain eligible citizens.

Implementation, however, faces hurdles. Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) does not share personal licence data with Malaysia due to privacy laws, making automatic verification impossible. 

To resolve this, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) is building 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 patience.

He added that the government is also urging Malaysians to update their driving licence records to match their 12-digit MyKad, as outdated formats may affect subsidy eligibility.

Loke stressed that while affected Malaysians will soon qualify, the ban on subsidised fuel for foreign-registered vehicles remains intact.

“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,” the minister stressed.

While the number of Malaysians with Singapore licences is unclear, an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 people cross the Johor-Singapore border daily, highlighting the scale of the issue.