Latest news with #OBUs
New Paper
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- New Paper
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow on COE system, private-hire cars and other transport issues
There will be no major tweaks to the certificate of entitlement (COE) system in the short term, and the focus now is on ensuring that all vehicles are equipped with on-board units (OBUs) for the next-generation Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system, said Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow. "The reality is there won't be space for every Singaporean to own a car in Singapore," he told reporters in an interview on June 11, noting that the COE system is how the Government is allocating this "scarce good". Touching on a range of other transport issues, Mr Siow also sought to counter the narrative that private-hire vehicle companies are driving up COE prices, thereby depriving Singaporeans of the chance to own a car. A COE is needed to register and use a vehicle here. On usage-based charging Asked if Singapore will shift to usage-based charging, Mr Siow said this is something that the authorities can look at in the next phase of the roll-out of the new ERP system, known as ERP 2.0. He said the Government had to switch to ERP 2.0 largely because the current system is obsolete. "It was not possible for us to continue running the current ERP system... without problems, because the parts were just not getting manufactured." Mr Siow was director of land transport when NCS and MHI Engine System won a $556 million tender in 2016 to build ERP 2.0, which has the ability to charge for distance travelled. He said the focus now is to ensure that every car is installed with a new ERP 2.0 OBU, and this will take time to complete. As at June, more than 500,000 vehicles have been fitted with OBUs. This means the installation exercise has crossed the halfway mark towards equipping the entire vehicle population of around one million units with OBUs by 2026. On COE allocation On whether private-hire cars have driven up COE premiums, Mr Siow said this discussion needs to take into account the fact that private-hire vehicles have given people access to private transport on a pay-per-use basis. "If we didn't have private-hire cars today, actually the reverse would be true, that a large number of these people will feel that they need to buy a car, and then... they will bid the price of the COE up," he argued. Noting that the economics of a private-hire car are "much more efficient", Mr Siow asked: "If you had one COE left to allocate, is it better to allocate it to a private car owner, who then drives maybe two trips a day and leaves the car in the garage? "Or is it better to share the car among a much larger group of Singaporeans who can have access to the use of a car when they need it? Surely it must be the latter, right?" However, if there are fundamental changes to driving habits in the long term, the Government can then review how it manages the COE allocation mechanism, Mr Siow added. On private-hire driver hours The Acting Minister was also asked for his views on the time that private-hire drivers spend on the road. This is in the light of the recent death of 49-year-old ride-hailing driver Gavin Neo from a stroke. Friends said Mr Neo often spent up to 15 hours behind the wheel to provide for his teenage son and daughter. Mr Siow said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) does not regulate the number of hours that private-hire drivers should be on the road, and the unions have not called for such regulations either, as different drivers have different needs. He said LTA will step in if accident rates for private-hire vehicles are much higher than private vehicles, but this has not been the case. He also pointed to the Workplace Safety and Health Council's guidelines, which encourage drivers to limit their shifts to no more than 12 hours. Mr Siow said the question is whether ride-hailing platform Grab's incentive scheme should be tweaked, noting that there is a very high-achieving incentive tier that few drivers are on. "I have a lot of sympathy for (Mr Neo)... The union has reached out to (the family), and we want to see how we can help the family in that particular instance." On EVs On Singapore's electric vehicle (EV) push, Mr Siow said EVs are a "game changer" for urban design, as roads can be built much closer to buildings, or even through them. This is because EVs are silent and non-polluting, he noted. He also pointed to the Government's commitment to phase out vehicles that run purely on internal combustion engines. The authorities have mandated that all new car registrations must be of cleaner-energy models from 2030. "It is a matter of managing the transition," Mr Siow said. "It just takes time for people to switch. We don't want to force them to suddenly have to give up their vehicle for a new one." On late-night public transport On whether the authorities would make late-night public transport more accessible, Mr Siow said the main constraint for night buses is manpower. "Between choosing to deploy a night bus versus choosing to deploy a new bus service, I have to weigh which is the more immediate priority. So, on that front, we can see opportunistically whether it is worth doing. But I think on the whole, the priority has to be augmenting the HDB estates and the bus networks," he added. For the rail system, time is needed each night for maintenance work, and unlike cities like London, it is not possible to completely shut down segments of an MRT line for maintenance here. This may change in future for the Circle Line, however, once the loop between HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations is closed, as it could allow for 24-hour maintenance work to be done on some sections of the line while maintaining connectivity. Mr Siow said: "At the margins, we can think about extending service hours a little bit, but quite frankly, looking at the priorities, we are under more pressure to create more time for maintenance and to, in fact, reduce service hours, rather than the other way around."
New Paper
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- New Paper
Ground sensors on roadside parking spaces could make payments automatic under new URA pilot project
Paying for roadside parking might become automatic in the future, if a planned trial to install sensors on the ground goes well. These sensors embedded in the ground would be able to detect when a car drives into or leaves a roadside parking space, and communicate with the vehicle's on-board unit (OBU) via Bluetooth technology. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) called a tender on May 6 for proposals to study the effectiveness of such a system. The agency told The Straits Times on May 29 that the study aims to test the viability of using Bluetooth communications to facilitate automated payment for roadside parking to make it more convenient for motorists. These sensors would be flat and easily driven over by vehicles. Currently, motorists pay for roadside parking either with paper parking coupons, or through the app. This URA study is separate from other plans by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to also use the OBU for payments for roadside parking. This feature, which the LTA intends to roll out when most vehicles have OBUs fitted, will require motorists to use the OBU's touchscreen display to start the parking session. The parking session ends automatically when the vehicle is driven out of the parking space. LTA said that it will "work with URA to review the outcome of this study in assessing any future deployment plans". Across the island, URA manages approximately 13,000 roadside parking spaces. For this trial, URA intends to select a contractor and conduct a reliability test at Changi Beach Car Park 5 from October 2025 to July 2026. It also intends to carry out an operational pilot at carparks in Chinatown, Keong Saik and Bukit Timah from August 2026 to July 2027. According to tender documents published on government procurement portal GeBiz, the 10-month reliability test will need to be conducted on four vehicle types: passenger sedans, light goods vehicles such as lorries, heavy vehicles such as prime movers, as well as buses with 23 or more seats. URA did not comment on why it excluded motorcycles from the trial. For the 12-month operational pilot, the authority noted that the three carpark locations were chosen because it is possible to put in the sensors at these places for the trial while having them remain accessible to motorists. "We do not expect any disruptions to parking operations," said the URA spokesperson. ST understands that there will be no automated payments triggered in the study. The tender closes at 4pm on Aug 21, and the contract will be awarded by October 2025. Asked about when it hopes to roll out these parking sensors on a wider scale, URA said it will review the outcome of the study and other parallel initiatives in assessing future deployment plans. Motorists and operators whom ST spoke to mostly welcomed this new initiative, although some raised concerns. Mr Davidson Chua, 25, said that such a system could "remove the hassle" of manually starting a carpark session when he is in a rush. The business co-founder also hopes that the system would be able to inform motorists of the availability of parking spaces in the area. But Mr Chua noted that some motorists may be unhappy with this new initiative, as they can no longer "game the system" by avoiding payments whenever they can. Mr Lim Kian Chin, the managing director of Allied Container Group, a firm with a fleet of more than 80 lorries and prime movers, said that data collected from these sensors may improve land resource planning as the agency will know how well used parking spaces are and decide how best to use the available space. But Mr Lim, who is also chairman of the Singapore Transport Association, said that it may be troublesome for truck and lorry drivers who often temporarily park their vehicles at roadside parking spaces to run quick errands, such as delivering goods to the service counter of a building. As at June, over 500,000 vehicles have been fitted with new OBU, which is part of the new satellite-based Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system known as ERP 2.0. These OBUs are capable of determining a vehicle's location and processing ERP charges. They can provide motorists with more information like real-time traffic alerts of road closures and accidents. The installation of the new OBUs in Singapore-registered vehicles is targeted to be completed by 2026.
Straits Times
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Motorists can now get flash flood alerts on ERP on-board unit
The new feature adds to other real-time information available on the OBU. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG Motorists can now get flash flood alerts on ERP on-board unit SINGAPORE - Motorists who have the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) on-board units (OBUs) in their vehicles will now receive alerts about flash floods when approaching or travelling along affected roads. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced this in a Facebook post on June 30, adding that this feature will allow motorists to 'take alternative routes'. The new feature adds to other real-time information available on the OBU, including parking availability in certain areas, bus lane operations and alerts on speed cameras. Motorists said they welcome the new feature. 'I think it'll be pretty helpful information. I'll try to avoid that road if I see such warnings. Since it's so convenient to look at the OBU screen while driving, any information it can provide to me is an added bonus,' account manager Jerome Lim, 35, told The Straits Times . Mr Matthew Tan, 24, an executive, said: 'It will be good to have alerts that warn me of a flash flood, especially if I'm driving on my normal route without using GPS apps. I hope that the alerts will sound out early enough so I can make the necessary detours.' Flood alerts are also available on the myENV app and PUB's Flood Alerts Telegram channel. The next-generation satellite-based ERP system that comes with the OBU is also capable of charging motorists based on distance travelled. In December, then Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said that the authorities are still at a very early stage of looking at different possible distance-based charging models. The Urban Redevelopment Authority and LTA have plans to use the OBU for payments for roadside parking. LTA had previously said that as at June, more than 500,000 vehicles have been fitted with OBUs. This means the installation exercise has crossed the halfway mark towards equipping the entire vehicle population of around one million units with OBUs by 2026. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow on COE system, private-hire cars and other transport issues
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow sought to counter the narrative that private-hire vehicle companies are driving up COE prices. PHOTO: ST FILE SINGAPORE – There will be no major tweaks to the certificate of entitlement (COE) system in the short term, and the focus now is on ensuring that all vehicles are equipped with on-board units (OBUs) for the next-generation Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system, said Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow. 'The reality is there won't be space for every Singaporean to own a car in Singapore,' he told reporters in an interview on June 11, noting that the COE system is how the Government is allocating this 'scarce good'. Touching on a range of other transport issues, Mr Siow also sought to counter the narrative that private-hire vehicle companies are driving up COE prices, thereby depriving Singaporeans of the chance to own a car. A COE is needed to register and use a vehicle here. On usage-based charging Asked if Singapore will shift to usage-based charging, Mr Siow said this is something that the authorities can look at in the next phase of the roll-out of the new ERP system, known as ERP 2.0. He said the Government had to switch to ERP 2.0 largely because the current system is obsolete. 'It was not possible for us to continue running the current ERP system... without problems, because the parts were just not getting manufactured.' Mr Siow was director of land transport when NCS and MHI Engine System won a $556 million tender in 2016 to build ERP 2.0, which has the ability to charge for distance travelled. He said the focus now is to ensure that every car is installed with a new ERP 2.0 OBU, and this will take time to complete. As at June, more than 500,000 vehicles have been fitted with OBUs. This means the installation exercise has crossed the halfway mark towards equipping the entire vehicle population of around one million units with OBUs by 2026. On COE allocation On whether private-hire cars have driven up COE premiums, Mr Siow said this discussion needs to take into account the fact that private-hire vehicles have given people access to private transport on a pay-per-use basis. 'If we didn't have private-hire cars today, actually the reverse would be true, that a large number of these people will feel that they need to buy a car, and then... they will bid the price of the COE up,' he argued. Noting that the economics of a private-hire car are 'much more efficient', Mr Siow asked: 'If you had one COE left to allocate, is it better to allocate it to a private car owner, who then drives maybe two trips a day and leaves the car in the garage? 'Or is it better to share the car among a much larger group of Singaporeans who can have access to the use of a car when they need it? Surely it must be the latter, right?' However, if there are fundamental changes to driving habits in the long term, the Government can then review how it manages the COE allocation mechanism, Mr Siow added. On private-hire driver hours The Acting Minister was also asked for his views on the time that private-hire drivers spend on the road. This is in the light of the recent death of 49-year-old ride-hailing driver Gavin Neo from a stroke. Friends said Mr Neo often spent up to 15 hours behind the wheel to provide for his teenage son and daughter. Mr Siow said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) does not regulate the number of hours that private-hire drivers should be on the road, and the unions have not called for such regulations either, as different drivers have different needs. He said LTA will step in if accident rates for private-hire vehicles are much higher than private vehicles, but this has not been the case. He also pointed to the Workplace Safety and Health Council's guidelines, which encourage drivers to limit their shifts to no more than 12 hours. Mr Siow said the question is whether ride-hailing platform Grab's incentive scheme should be tweaked, noting that there is a very high-achieving incentive tier that few drivers are on. 'I have a lot of sympathy for (Mr Neo)... The union has reached out to (the family), and we want to see how we can help the family in that particular instance.' On EVs On Singapore's electric vehicle (EV) push, Mr Siow said EVs are a 'game changer' for urban design, as roads can be built much closer to buildings, or even through them. This is because EVs are silent and non-polluting, he noted. He also pointed to the Government's commitment to phase out vehicles that run purely on internal combustion engines. The authorities have mandated that all new car registrations must be of cleaner-energy models from 2030. 'It is a matter of managing the transition,' Mr Siow said . 'It just takes time for people to switch. We don't want to force them to suddenly have to give up their vehicle for a new one.' On late-night public transport On whether the authorities would make late-night public transport more accessible, Mr Siow said the main constraint for night buses is manpower. 'Between choosing to deploy a night bus versus choosing to deploy a new bus service, I have to weigh which is the more immediate priority. So, on that front, we can see opportunistically whether it is worth doing. But I think on the whole, the priority has to be augmenting the HDB estates and the bus networks,' he added. For the rail system, time is needed each night for maintenance work, and unlike cities like London, it is not possible to completely shut down segments of an MRT line for maintenance here. This may change in future for the Circle Line, however, once the loop between HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations is closed, as it could allow for 24-hour maintenance work to be done on some sections of the line while maintaining connectivity. Mr Siow said: 'At the margins, we can think about extending service hours a little bit, but quite frankly, looking at the priorities, we are under more pressure to create more time for maintenance and to, in fact, reduce service hours, rather than the other way around.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Ground sensors on roadside parking spaces could make payments automatic under new URA pilot project
Currently, motorists pay for roadside parking either with paper parking coupons, or through the app. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG Ground sensors on roadside parking spaces could make payments automatic under new URA pilot project SINGAPORE – Paying for roadside parking might become automatic in the future, if a planned trial to install sensors on the ground goes well. These sensors embedded in the ground would be able to detect when a car drives into or leaves a roadside parking space, and communicate with the vehicle's on-board unit (OBU) via Bluetooth technology. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) called a tender on May 6 for proposals to study the effectiveness of such a system. The agency told The Straits Times on May 29 that the study aims to test the viability of using Bluetooth communications to facilitate automated payment for roadside parking to make it more convenient for motorists. These sensors would be flat and easily driven over by vehicles. Currently, motorists pay for roadside parking either with paper parking coupons, or through the app. This URA study is separate from other plans by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to also use the OBU for payments for roadside parking. This feature, which the LTA intends to roll out when most vehicles have OBUs fitted, will require motorists to use the OBU's touchscreen display to start the parking session. The parking session ends automatically when the vehicle is driven out of the parking space. LTA said that it will 'work with URA to review the outcome of this study in assessing any future deployment plans'. Across the island, URA manages approximately 13,000 roadside parking spaces. For this trial, URA intends to select a contractor and conduct a reliability test at Changi Beach Car Park 5 from October 2025 to July 2026. It also intends to carry out an operational pilot at carparks in Chinatown, Keong Saik and Bukit Timah from August 2026 to July 2027 . According to tender documents published on government procurement portal GeBiz, the 10-month reliability test will need to be conducted on four vehicle types: passenger sedans, light goods vehicles such as lorries, heavy vehicles such as prime movers, as well as buses with 23 or more seats. URA did not comment on why it excluded motorcycles from the trial. For the 12-month operational pilot, the authority noted that the three carpark locations were chosen because it is possible to put in the sensors at these places for the trial while having them remain accessible to motorists. 'We do not expect any disruptions to parking operations,' said the URA spokesperson. ST understands that there will be no automated payments triggered in the study. The tender closes at 4pm on Aug 21 , and the contract will be awarded by October 2025 . Asked about when it hopes to roll out these parking sensors on a wider scale, URA said it will review the outcome of the study and other parallel initiatives in assessing future deployment plans. Motorists and operators whom ST spoke to mostly welcomed this new initiative, although some raised concerns. Mr Davidson Chua , 25 , said that such a system could 'remove the hassle' of manually starting a carpark session when he is in a rush. The business co-founde r also hopes that the system would be able to inform motorists of the availability of parking spaces in the area. But Mr Chua noted that some motorists may be unhappy with this new initiative, as they can no longer 'game the system' by avoiding payments whenever they can. Mr Lim Kian Chin , the managing director of Allied Container Group, a firm with a fleet of more than 80 lorries and prime movers, said that data collected from these sensors may improve land resource planning as the agency will know how well used parking spaces are and decide how best to use the available space. But Mr Lim, who is also chairman of the Singapore Transport Association , said that it may be troublesome for truck and lorry drivers who often temporarily park their vehicles at roadside parking spaces to run quick errands, such as delivering goods to the service counter of a building. As at June , over 500,000 vehicles have been fitted with new OBU, which is part of the new satellite-based Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system known as ERP 2.0. These OBUs are capable of determining a vehicle's location and processing ERP charges. They can provide motorists with more information like real-time traffic alerts of road closures and accidents. The installation of the new OBUs in Singapore-registered vehicles is targeted to be completed by 2026. Esther Loi is a journalist at The Straits Times, where she covers transport issues. Lee Nian Tjoe is senior transport correspondent at The Straits Times, where he also oversees the Motoring section. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
