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The public’s response is that the on-board unit (OBU) to be installed in vehicles next year is too bulky, but authorities will go ahead with the device, even as they continue to explore how to improve it, Senior Minister of State for Transport, Amy Khor said yesterday.
One reason is that the Land Transportation Authority (LTA) is contractually bound to the OBU design after awarding the tender in 2016, so it cannot make modifications without incurring additional costs.
However, LTA will offer vehicle owners some options to collect feedback on, for example, what will be displayed on the OBU touch screen.
“For example, the screen can stay black most of the time and show the ERP charges paid only when a transaction is made,” he said in Parliament.
“As a possible future upgrade, LTA is also looking into whether the information from the OBU can be sent to our smartphones, which can then be used as a display screen.”
Dr. Khor was responding to MPs, including Mr. Melvin Yong (Radin Mas) and Mr. Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), who had indicated that the larger screen of the new OBU could be a distraction. for drivers and had asked if it could be replaced by smartphones.
The new OBU for automobiles, which will be installed from the second half of next year, comprises an antenna, a touch screen that will be installed near the windshield and a processing unit that will be installed under the dash.
It will be compatible with the new Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system to be activated in mid-2023, to replace the existing ERP infrastructure, which has been in operation for 22 years.
Dr. Khor said that today’s ERP system is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain, so “there is an urgency, a need to implement next-generation ERP” without introducing further changes that could disrupt the line of business. weather.
“So what we want is to ensure a hassle-free installation of the next-gen ERP, and to do this, the display unit will be (first) a standard issue.
“We also need time to work with the contractors and consultants to develop the program and to be able to send specific OBU data to the mobile app.”
The first OBU will be free for Singapore-registered vehicles and more details on its installation will be given later.
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