SINGAPORE – Motorists who have had the next-generation Electronic Road Pricing system (ERP 2.0) on-board units (OBU) installed in their vehicles as at May 2 can reposition the processing units from the passenger’s footwell to the driver’s footwell for free if they wish, said Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat.
About 2 per cent, or 18,000 vehicles, of almost 1 million vehicles in Singapore have been fitted with OBUs since August 2023, noted Mr Chee, with around 11,000 of them being fleet vehicles such as buses and company-registered vehicles.
Mr Chee said this in Parliament on May 8 in response to questions from MPs on public concerns about the design of the ERP 2.0 OBU.
This follows complaints from drivers about potential safety risks in reaching for payment cards located at the passenger’s footwell, as well as the bulkiness of the three-piece OBU comprising the processing unit, an antenna and a touchscreen display.
Previously, early adopters of the ERP 2.0 had no choice but to place the processing units in the front passenger’s footwell when the OBUs were installed in their vehicles from August 2023.
To ensure fairness, the switch in the location of the ERP 2.0 processing units will be free for these users, said Mr Chee in response to a question from Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang GRC) who asked about Mr Chee’s experience with the unit as an early adopter.
Mr Chee’s response came six days after the Land Transport Authority confirmed that the processing unit of the new OBUs can be installed on the driver’s side, if suitable.
The installation of the new OBUs began in fleet vehicles in November 2023, and new vehicles registered from May 1 will be pre-fitted with the equipment.
Reiterating the complexity of the ERP 2.0 transition, Mr Chee said its adoption is a major exercise involving many motorists and a diverse range of vehicle makes and models, including new and existing vehicles.
The process will take a few years to complete, he added.
On Dr Lim’s query about whether the smaller one-piece OBUs for motorcycles can be used in vehicles, he said there is a risk of overheating in enclosed vehicular environments, which could affect their functionality.
He added that the units could be designed with cooling fans, but this was decided against as it would make the one-piece units very bulky on dashboards.
Mr Chee noted that the splitting of the OBU into three parts allows the flexibility to decide on the location of the processing unit, and to do without the touchscreen display if drivers prefer.
