TEST RUN OF ELECTRONIC ROAD PRICING SYSTEM (Compensation to motorists charged accidentally)

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Communications whether the Government has compensated those motorists who were charged accidentally in the test run of the Electronic Road Pricing System on 28th August 1998.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications (Dr Yaacob Ibrahim) (for the Minister for Communications): Sir, all of the 1,562 motorists, who were accidentally charged during the test run of the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries on 28th August 1998 have been sent a $10 CashCard.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, what is the rationale for refunding the affected motorists a flat rate of $10 CashCard which has incurred a Government expenditure of $15,620 rather than just paying them back the collected amount of $1,659?

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, on the morning of that particular day, we deducted between 50 cents and $3 accidentally from 1,562 motorists. We could have chosen to refund the exact amount. However, as a gesture of goodwill and to compensate for the inconvenience and the confusion caused, we have decided to give each of them a $10 CashCard.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, why did the Government give out goodwill? I would like to know who made the mistake and whether or not the taxpayers should bear the mistake of this goodwill, which was a mistake made by a civil servant.

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, we have conducted an internal inquiry into this incident and we have found that the party responsible is the ERP contractor and, as such, we would be claiming all costs incurred due to the incident from this ERP contractor. This would include the cost of the CashCard that we have sent out.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, how did the LTA know who are the motorists who are overcharged and how were the CashCards sent to them? Were they sent to them or they came to collect them?

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, every in-vehicle unit (IU) has its own unit identity code which is indexed to the registration number of the vehicle. So when a vehicle with an IU passes under the ERP gantry, this unit identity code will form part of the normal ERP transaction. Usually, we will keep this ERP data for only 24 hours in order to allow LTA to settle with NETS. For that particular instance, we downloaded and retained the data for the express purpose of identifying the affected motorists so that the $10 CashCards could be sent to them.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, since the system is capable of capturing the identity of the car through the gantries, my question is whether or not this system itself is also capable of monitoring the movement of motorists and thus infringe the privacy of motorists?

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, as I have said earlier, we only retain the data for a maximum of 24 hours to allow us to settle the transaction with NETS. After that the data is deleted.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, is it possible to download the data and store it somewhere? Could you do that?

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: It is possible, but we do not do that.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Can the data not be downloaded and stored separately for future reference at all?

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: As I have said earlier, Sir, it is possible to download, but we do not do that except for those who have violated the ERP.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, the question is whether you do that or you do not do that. The system is capable of doing that if you want to. In other words, if the Government wants to monitor the movement of motorists, they could have done that.

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, we do not do that, and the question is irrelevant.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, this is relevant. I believe the LTA has completed its investigation. Is the LTA confident that such errors will not occur again in the future? And what other systems are in place to make sure that the same mistake will not occur again?

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, the system that we have in place is extremely reliable. Any errors that have occurred during the test run have already been rectified. Nonetheless, we will be very vigilant to prevent any mishap that could happen, be it human or otherwise, and we will continue with our vigilance, as we do daily in Singapore.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, is the system capable of self-checking any errors that occur?

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I do not have the exact answer. If the Member is interested, he could file a Question and I will answer at the next sitting.