What the ERP??

I drive a scooter. I love it. I drive a Vespa in part out of choice and in part out of necessity because the nearest MRT (subway) is a 25 minute walk away which is ridiculously long in the heat and humidity of the tropics. If we lived closer, I would definitely ride the MRT because it’s great – very clean, the trains run often and punctually with a countdown on the platform so you know how long you’ll have to wait, and it’s airconditioned on the platform and the train (take that New York!). Just don’t bring on a durian or you’ll get fined S$500.

But I don’t speak “bus” and the cars are ridiculously expensive due to import fees, taxes and the COE (certificate of entitlement) which is supposed to limit the number of vehicles on the roads (doesn’t seem to be working). This works out to make a US $17,000 car in America cost about SGD $90,000 here in Singapore. Since the COE only lasts for 10 years and the exchange rate has been hovering around SGD $1.25 = US $1, this is a freaking rip-off. So when you consider that you can buy a used Vespa including COE for under $5,000, it’s a much better option. That’s how we came to own the very sleek, Donatella (yes, we named our Vespa).

Driving Donatella is great. She’s easy to park, great in traffic, uses a lot less gas, and is pretty darn stylish. It only slightly counts against her that she’s not so good in the rain, doesn’t have air conditioning or a radio, and leaves you very accessible to the madness of the kiasu local driving. All in all, Rob and I have been very pleased with our purchase and though he has a car for work, our vehicle of choice on the weekends is most often Donatella.

This is a very long prelude to say that the contraption that all vehicles in Singapore must have, called an IU, which facilitates Singapore being able to take money from you whenever you pass through an ERP Gantry (positioned in the more dense areas like downtown), started malfunctioning last week and so I had to go get it serviced at Vicom. I was hoping they would fix it simply and cheaply but instead I was told that the warranty was up (conveniently expired the month before) and after a 2 second scan they determined that it would need to be replaced for $150 bucks. I’m fine with paying the ERP tolls as necessary but it seems extreme to ask me to pay $150  for the priviledge of facilitating more money to be sucked out of my wallet. The version of this from the US at least has the decency to be free: FAST LANE. C’mon if they can do it in Massachusetts….