SOON, the risk of being fined because you have driven through an Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantry with insufficient funds in your CashCard will be history. From today, new cars will be fitted with a second-generation card reader.

The reader, or in-vehicle unit, gives drivers the option of using either a regular CashCard or the new ez-link transit card for ERP payments.

With the latter, users can subscribe to an automatic top-up function, which adds a pre-determined amount to the card wirelessly if the balance is not enough to pay an ERP charge. This option is not available for the current CashCard system.

Each month, the Land Transport Authority detects about 30,000 violations related to drivers going through gantries with an insufficient balance on their CashCards. Motorists caught have to pay an administrative fee, on top of the ERP charges owed.

Besides the new ez-link card, the new readers will be able to accept any future card which complies with Singapore's new standard for contactless cashless payments.

Existing car owners who want the flexibility that the new reader brings can switch units at vehicle inspection centres, but will be charged $150.

However, a majority of motorists are expected to stick with the CashCard-based reader for the time being.

Besides the cost of changing, carparks with electronic payment systems have not been converted to read the new ez-link cards as yet. This means owners of new cars or readers will have to buy both a CashCard and the new ez-link card - and will have to switch before entering a carpark.

'I will not pay to change,' said warehouse manager Adrian Wang, 49. 'I always put $50 in my CashCard, and that lasts me about a month.

For enquiries on the new ERP readers, motorists can call LTA on 1800-225-5582.

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times

CHRISTOPHER TAN