ABOUT 4,600 motorists have signed up to pay their Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges by credit card.
The service was launched four months ago so that those often caught with insufficient funds, or without CashCards, can choose to have their ERP charges billed monthly to their credit cards instead.
But the number of those caught remains high.
Last October, a month before the scheme started, 57,000 motorists drove under ERP gantries either without a CashCard in their in-vehicle units (IUs) or with a card low on funds.
In the months following, the number dipped, but still averaged close to 50,000 a month. There were 51,000 violations in November, 44,300 in December, and 50,800 in January.
The Land Transport Authority, noting the slight fall since October, said it may still be ?too early to conclude? that the new scheme has cut the number of ERP violations. The lower numbers in November and December could have been a result of the school holidays, when families went overseas, said its spokesman.
The tie-up for credit card payment of ERP charges is with DBS Bank. Motorists who sign up do not need to slot their CashCards, or credit cards, into their IUs. The IUs ?communicate? to the gantries the details of the charge, so their Visa or MasterCard accounts can be billed.
Subscription for the service costs $2.50 a month and charges are listed in subscribers? monthly credit card bills.
Sales manager Kelvin Ng, 34, is more than happy with the service as he travels a lot. He said: ?I think of the monthly fee as an ?insurance? of sorts. Before this scheme, I had lost track of how many times I was caught with insufficient value in my card.?
Motorists caught with insufficient funds or without a CashCard in their IUs have to pay an administrative fee of $10, on top of the ERP charges owed.
