SINGAPORE – Vehicle owners can now make appointments directly with their preferred authorised workshops to install the ERP 2.0 on-board unit (OBU), which is required for the satellite-based system.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Oct 29 said there is no need for owners to wait for an official notification from LTA to replace their in-vehicle units or to go through the authority’s booking portal.

This move will offer vehicle owners the convenience of combining their OBU installation with other services, such as vehicle servicing, to save time, LTA said.

The vehicle owner or a designated representative can bring the vehicle to the workshop for installation, which can take two to four hours, depending on the make and model of the vehicle and its condition. No documents are required.

From November, LTA will progressively send official notifications to owners of Singapore-registered vehicles to remind them to install the OBU, which works with the existing electronic road pricing and parking gantries.

The OBU is slated to be installed in all vehicles by 2026.

LTA said about 150,000 new and existing vehicles have been fitted with the OBU since November 2023. Of those, some 90,000 existing vehicle owners had proactively contacted workshops to do the installation, LTA added.

A vehicle’s existing IU number will be automatically ported over to the OBU, so motorists will not need to update their season parking details.

To cope with the expected influx of installation appointments, authorised workshops have increased their installation capacity and streamlined processes to handle more vehicles, LTA said.

Vehicle owners can use LTA’s OBU information page (go.gov.sg/book-obu) to find workshops, and enter their vehicle details to view a list of suitable authorised workshops for their vehicle make.

The OBU has three components: a processing unit, antenna unit and touchscreen display.

The processing unit, part of the on-board units for ERP 2.0, is installed at the front passenger seat where the left ankle is. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

The placement of the processing unit varies by vehicle type and interior, and can be placed at the front passenger footwell, driver footwell, under the glovebox, under the driver seat or on the centre console.

LTA said about 70 per cent of motorists have chosen to place the processing unit at the front passenger footwell, and 13 per cent have placed it at the driver footwell. Eight per cent have installed the unit on the centre console, another 8 per cent under the glove compartment and 1 per cent under the driver seat.

While the touchscreen display is optional, LTA noted that motorists cannot access the full suite of services or adjust the volume of notifications without it.

One per cent of vehicle owners have opted not to install the touchscreen display.

The OBU allows vehicle owners to deactivate their card for complimentary parking, alerts them to planned road closures and shows car park availability in the city and other areas, including Buona Vista, Jurong East and Orchard.

LTA said more features will be rolled out, including allowing motorists to pay for missed ERP charges and checkpoint tolls.

The OBU comes with a five-year warranty. Motorists can contact LTA’s dedicated ERP 2.0 service at 6377 2255 with any pre- and post-installation queries.