Few early adopters seek repositioning of ERP 2.0 units to driver's footwell

Fleet operators say they have no plans to relocate units, citing absence of driver complaints

- Esther Loi

Some fleet operators have no plans to relocate the processing unit of their on-board units (OBUS) for the next-generation Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system from the passenger's to the driver's footwell, despite Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat saying motorists can do so for free if they wish.

They cited the absence of complaints from fleet drivers regarding the default location of the unit at the passenger's footwell as a reason.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on May 17 that it has not received any requests from fleet owners on the relocation of the processing units for their vehicles.

It added that four individual early adopters have contacted the authority for an appointment to assess if they can relocate their units.

Speaking in Parliament on May 8, Mr Chee offered early adopters the one-off opportunity to relocate the processing units from the default position at the passenger's footwell to the driver's footwell for free, if they wish to do so.

The three-piece OBU for the next-generation system - also known as ERP 2.0 - consists of a processing unit, an antenna and a touchscreen display.

Eligible early adopters are those who installed their OBUS on or before May 8, said LTA in a notice published on its OneMotoring website on May 8. This free repositioning scheme will be valid till Aug 31.

Most of these 18,000 early adopters are fleet vehicles such as buses and company-registered vehicles.

Mr Chee's comment followed complaints from drivers about potential safety risks in reaching for payment cards from units installed at the passenger's footwell.