SINGAPORE — Car owners may choose where to install the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) 2.0 processing unit within their vehicles, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) clarified in a news release on Thursday (May 2).

This came after several motorists expressed their frustration online about the new in-vehicle processing unit where a payment card is inserted to pay for parking fees and road toll charges. Many of them said that the placement of the processing unit under the glove compartment was inconvenient and hard to reach.

"LTA’s recommendation is for the processing unit to be installed at either the driver’s or the front passenger’s footwell. However, in some car models, these locations may not be feasible," the authority said adding that this option is subject to safety considerations and technical feasibility.

Earlier on March 28, LTA said that the installation of the unit for existing vehicles will begin in the second half of this year, and motor distributors will assist buyers in choosing their installation options. This includes the ability for car owners to choose where they could install the unit.

At the time, the authority did not specify the alternative places to be installed in cars.

A two- or three-piece unit includes the processing unit, an antenna and an optional display screen.

When the installation exercise started last year, the front passenger's footwell was recommended as the default position for the processing unit.

The unit holds the Cepas card, which includes either a Nets FlashPay card, Nets Motoring Card or an EZ-Link Motoring Card to be used to pay charges at ERP gantries and other fees.

Several vehicle owners said that the default placement of the processing unit at the front passenger's footwell made it difficult to reach. This is what drivers often need to do before reaching an automated car park barrier, when they have to remove the card to pay by a complimentary coupon, for example.

Some motorcyclists also complained that the new display unit blocked some information on their motorcycle display, since it was twice the size of the previous in-vehicle unit.

Following the online feedback, LTA posted a video on its TikTok channel in October and November last year to explain why it recommended the placement of the processing unit at the front passenger's footwell and what the installation process was like.

On Thursday, the authority reiterated that it has also rolled out a button on the touchscreen display on April 19 for motorists to deactivate their Cepas card for parking payment at an electronic parking system without removing it from the processing unit.

This is so that drivers who have complimentary parking tickets do not need to remove their cards from the new processing units before reaching the gantry, thus negating the need to reach out to the processing unit in the first place.

"If the driver forgets to reactivate the card after leaving the car park, it will not affect his ERP payments as the correct amount will still be deducted from the card balance when the vehicle reaches an active ERP gantry," LTA added.

It acknowledged that drivers may need to remove their card in order to tap in or out of some private car parks that do not have an electronic parking system in place.

To address this issue, LTA said that electronic payment operator Nets will provide a complimentary Nets Motoring Card to all motorists who install the ERP in-vehicle unit.

"Motorists can use this card at private car parks that require them to tap their cards for entry or exit, without having to remove their Cepas card from the processing unit," LTA added.

It will announce more details about this move in due course.

OPTING FOR TOUCHSCREEN DISPLAYS

Apart from the placement of the processing unit, the authority has urged vehicle dealers and importers to consult buyers of new vehicles on whether they would like to install the touchscreen display.

"The touchscreen display can also be folded down if motorists prefer," LTA advised.

Vehicle owners who choose not to install the touchscreen display will still receive a unit so that they have the option to install the display if they change their minds later.

LTA said that service ambassadors will be deployed to vehicle showrooms and workshops to guide motorists on their options, including how to sign up for auto top-up of their Cepas cards if they choose to do so.

Installation of the units started in August last year with a group of early adopters. Since then, more than 18,000 vehicles have installed the new processing unit, LTA said.

The authority noted that early adopters gave feedback that they appreciated the safety notifications from the units on school zones, silver zones and bus lane hours, and that these helped to raise awareness of their surroundings and enhance road safety.

The authority is working with the traffic police to expand safety notifications to include more speed camera zones, including red-light cameras and mobile cameras.

These additional features will be pushed out to motorists "over the air" after the new units are installed without requiring motorists to take their vehicles back to workshops for upgrades, LTA added.

Owners of eligible vehicles will be informed via SMS on the phone, or by letter or email when it is their turn to install the new unit, with instructions on how they can schedule an installation appointment. The notification will be sent based on the age of the vehicle.

LTA expects the installation of the new units to be completed by end-2025.