No ERP charges at all gantries from April 6 to May 4 as road traffic expected to plunge, says Khaw

SINGAPORE — There will be no Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges at all gantries across the island from Monday (April 6) until May 4.

The move, announced by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan in a Facebook post on Saturday, comes a day after the Government said stricter measures would be taken to minimise physical contact and keep the Covid-19 pandemic in check.

From Tuesday, most workplaces except for essential services and key economic sectors will be shut down temporarily, while schools and institutes of higher learning will move to full home-based learning the day after.

“This is a significant step up as compared to current measures, a pre-emptive move,” Mr Khaw wrote. 

“The intent is to robustly kill the virus transmission in the community by eliminating physical interactions. With these measures, road traffic should plunge further,” he added.

Before the Government’s new “circuit-breaker” measures were announced, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) had said ERP rates will be reduced at 96 per cent of gantries islandwide from Monday, as more Singaporeans worked from home and avoided unnecessary trips. 

“Given this development,” said Mr Khaw, “I have asked LTA to cease ERP charging from Monday 6 April until 4 May. All gantries will stop charging for one month as we expect traffic to be light.”

“Let’s cooperate with MOH (the Ministry of Health): stay home, stay safe and stay focused on keeping Covid at bay,” he added.