SINGAPORE: The next time you drive past an Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantry, make sure the IU in your car holding the CashCard does beep.

A growing number of drivers here are having problems with their CashCards, according to inspection centres and drivers who spoke to TODAY.

Drivers who fail to get their CashCards read at the gantries will be issued with notification letters by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), requiring them to pay up to $10 each time.

Drivers who have had this problem before told TODAY that they initially thought it was due to a faulty in-vehicle unit (IU). But when they sent the IUs for a check at vehicle inspection centres, they were told the problem lay with their CashCards, which are issued by Nets.

Common problems include faulty microchips on the CashCard after being exposed to heat for more than four hours, rust on the microchip and also accidental scratches on the card when a driver takes it in and out for carpark payments.

TODAY also understands that the problems do not lie with just a particular batch of CashCards — some drivers who bought their CashCards two years ago experienced problems similar to those who bought theirs recently.

Lawyer Mr S Lazim, 40, encountered his first CashCard problem at an ERP gantry three months ago.

Technicians at Vicom, the car inspection and testing centre, later advised him to keep two cards with him at all times to prevent scratches when taking the CashCard in and out of the IU unit.

But despite having a CashCard solely dedicated to the IU, he still had problems as he was driving past the ERP gantry at Prince Edward Road on Monday morning.

"If you want to have a system, make sure its foolproof and not let consumers bear the inconvenience," said Mr Lazim, 40.

Driver David Woo, 58, said he has no problems with the fact that Nets will start charging road users for a $5, non-refundable fee from today for their CashCards, which can last for up to five years.

"If the card is able to last me for the next four years, paying five bucks is reasonable, but now the quality is questionable," added Mr Woo, who had received two notices from the LTA due to CashCard problems in the past two months.

He now buys only the black-coloured version of the CashCards, which are said to be the hardier version.

The CashCard woes have also found their way into forums dedicated to motorists, such as My Car Forum.

One user, "Octaviafan", advises other motorists to keep separate cards for carpark payments while "Mavvy" told drivers to avoid some shopping centre carparks that are known to easily cause scratches on the card.

Checks with some inspection centres indicated that the CashCard problem is something they deal with daily.

At the STA Inspection centre, the number of CashCard cases seen by its technicians has risen from around two in the past to eight cases daily.

However, some drivers believe that the figure could be higher because there are those who would rather pay the fee imposed by the LTA rather than go through the trouble of getting their vehicles inspected to confirm that their CashCards were the source of the problem.

In response to TODAY's queries, the LTA said CashCard error incidents comprise only 0.004 per cent — or about 300 cases — out of the ERP transactions each month.

According to the LTA, given the increase in the number of ERP road users, more problems are likely to crop up. However, it will work closely with Nets if there is indeed an increasing trend of CashCard-related problems.

Relief may be in sight, though, for drivers with CashCard woes. Come year end, they will have the option of making ERP payments through credit cards and contactless smartcards, such as the ez-link cards.


- TODAY/so