Rationale for Fee of S$1,300 for Vehicle Owners to Retain and Reuse Existing Car Licence Plate Numbers

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Minister for Transport what is the rationale for the fee of S$1,300 for vehicle owners to retain and reuse their existing car licence plate numbers and whether the Ministry will consider reducing or waiving the amount.

Mr Lui Tuck Yew: The Land Transport Authority provides system-generated vehicle registration numbers at no cost to vehicle owners. Most vehicle owners accept these numbers. However, those who wish to choose their own vehicle registration numbers have the option of doing so and are levied a fee for the option.

Owners can bid for a new vehicle registration number at a minimum bid of $1,000 and use it on an existing vehicle with a replacement fee of $300. Alternatively, an owner can use a registration number from another vehicle, including the vehicle which he owned previously. In both instances, the numbers are of the owners’ choice. The fees for using a registration number from an existing vehicle is, therefore, set at the same level as the minimum cost of using a bid number, which is $1,300.