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A smarter ERP in-vehicle unit (IU) to be introduced can automatically top up a card that has insufficient funds.
It will also accept more kinds of cards, such as the ez-link fare card, among other advantages.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA), which unveiled the device yesterday, said it will be fitted in new motorcycles from next month, and other new vehicles from early next year.
Owners of existing vehicles who want the new gadget, however, will have to pay $150, excluding GST, for it.
Installing it is not mandatory.
To use the new IU's automatic top-up feature, motorists must apply for the service through the card issuer. Observers reckon there will be two or more issuers vying for customers.
The new e-payment system the LTA has developed enables the new IU to accept contactless cards which, like ez-link cards used on buses and trains, can be read by proximity. Hence, these cards can be read whichever way they are inserted.
The new IU will also accept existing CashCards, contact cards issued by Network for Electronic Transfers Singapore (Nets).
Unlike the current IU which displays only the card balance each time a motorist passes under a gantry, the new IU will also show the deducted amount.
When errors crop up, it will also be smart enough to tell whether the problem lies with the card or the IU.
The gadget looks sleeker to boot. It is about 40 per cent more compact than the current model.
Its card slot is on its underside, making the card less visible to people outside. Observers say this design feature could deter smash-and-grab card thefts.
The IU made its debut at the Intelligent Transport Systems Asia-Pacific Forum & Exhibition at Suntec City, which Transport Minister Raymond Lim declared open.
On the sidelines of the event, he said Singapore had little choice but to embrace the ERP as a way to deal with congestion.
The alternative, he added, was to 'allow motorists to get stuck in traffic jams'.
He cited overseas examples of gridlock:
A Japanese businessman stationed in Bangkok could schedule only two external meetings a day because of the traffic; and
The Los Angeles Times carried a report about pizza delivery taking 45 minutes - for destinations 'within a one- to two-mile radius'.
