7% of vehicles haven't installed ERP 2.0 on-board units; missed ERP payments to be decriminalised

Some 70,000 vehicles in Singapore — or seven per cent of the total vehicle population — have yet to install the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system's new on-board unit (OBU) as of Jan 31 this year. 

Singapore will transition to the use of the satellite-based ERP 2.0 system in 2027, and all owners of Singapore-registered vehicles are advised to have the OBU installed — a final reminder to do so will take place on Feb 15. 

Speaking in Parliament during the Second Reading of the Land Transport and Related Matters Bill on Tuesday (Feb 3), Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow said that distance-based ERP charging will not be introduced anytime soon. 

"My intent is to ensure a smooth transition so that ERP 2 experience will be similar, as similar as possible to the ERP 1 experience as we switch over.

"This means that we will not be introducing distance based charging in the immediate term. Distance-based charging is something that we will continue to study and explore after motorists have gotten more used to the new system and the situation is more stable," he said.

Motorcylists and drivers who do not install the new OBUs three months after their reminders will need to pay $35 to install the device on motorcycles and $70 for all other vehicles. 

Meanwhile, unauthorised OBU services such as installation, modification, repositioning, removal and repair will attract a fine of up to $20,000 and/or jail of up to 12 months. 

Classic or vintage vehicle owners have the option of installing a free OBU, or they can pay a flat-rate ERP fee for every ERP operational day that they travel come January next year. The fee is $3 per day for motorcycles and $10 per day for other vehicles. 

Missed ERP payments no longer a traffic offence

LTA will also decriminalise missed ERP payments and treat them instead as an administrative matter. 

Vehicle owners instead of drivers will be responsible for settling the ERP payments and must do so within the grace period of five days from LTA's SMS notification, or be prevented from transacting with LTA. 

This means that vehicle services such as renewal of road tax, transferring vehicle registration and refunding unused road tax will be unavailable until the missed charge and a $10 administrative fee are paid. 

The Land Transport and Related Matters Bill covers proposed amendments to the Active Mobility Act 2017, the Small Motorised Vehicles (Safety) Act 2020, the Road Traffic Act 1961 and related Acts, and the Land Transport Authority of Singapore Act 1995. 

The Bill also proposed increased penalties relating to the illegal alteration of vehicles and concerning unregistered or deregistered vehicles. 

The illegal alteration of vehicles will attract a fine of up to $20,000 and/or jail of up to two years, with penalties doubled for repeat offenders. Companies can be fined up to $40,000 for first-time offences and up to $80,000 subsequently. 

Starting from Feb 27, keeping or using unregistered or deregistered vehicles will attract fines of up to $20,000 and/or jail of up to two years, with penalties doubled for repeat offenders.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com