On-board units for new ERP system to be installed from H2 2021: LTA

INSTALLATION of on-board units (OBUs) for the next-generation Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system will commence only in the second half of next year.

This is due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on global supply chains, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Tuesday.

The authority had previously said that the new system, which leverages the Global Navigation Satellite System, would be rolled out this year, The Straits Times reported.

The LTA on Tuesday noted that the existing cordon-based and point-based congestion pricing framework will remain and that ERP rates will continue to be reviewed based on traffic speeds and congestion levels.

ERP charging locations will be clearly indicated as they are now, but with smaller and slimmer gantries, LTA said.

The new OBU will replace the current in-vehicle unit. The installation exercise will take place over 18 months, with the first unit being free of charge for existing Singapore-registered vehicles.

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Besides providing information on ERP charging locations and rates, the OBU will provide additional information such as real-time road traffic updates and locations of nearby School Zones and Silver Zones to alert motorists to more vulnerable road users, LTA said. "Silver Zones" were introduced in 2014 to make roads safer in areas with large numbers of senior citizens.

There will be two designs for the new OBU. Motorcycles will have a single-piece unit; all other vehicles will be kitted with a three-piece unit comprising an antenna and a touchscreen display to be mounted to the windscreen, and a separate processing unit that can be mounted beneath the dashboard.

The new OBU is compatible with existing systems, including ERP charges and parking. Motorists can continue to use their Cepas cards (Nets FlashPay and EZ-Link cards), or credit or debit cards to make payment, the LTA added.

In a statement, the LTA noted that the ERP system was first introduced in 1998 - more than 20 years ago - and that the infrastructure is "reaching the end of its operational life". "In the meantime, technology has advanced and offers us better solutions," the authority said.

The new system will collect data from users, which the LTA will use only in "anonymised or aggregated form" for traffic management and transport planning, it said. Vehicle-specific data will be used only for payment, charges and enforcement, such as when ERP charges are not paid.

There will also be "robust security and strict safeguards in place" to prevent the unauthorised access and improper use of this data, added the LTA.