Converting your licence:
If you have a valid overseas
driving licence, you can drive in
Singapore for up to 12 months
before you need to convert your
licence. If you become a PR, you
need to convert your licence
immediately. If your licence is
not in English, you must have
an International Driving Permit
in addition to your licence.
To convert to a Singapore
licence, you need to pass the
Basic Theory Test (BTT), which
involves learning local traffic
rules. Your application must be
made in person at a driving test
centre (see sgdriving.net or ssdcl.
com.sg for details).
The processing fee for
converting your licence is $50
and the test fee is $6.50 (payable
with cash, CashCard or NETS
only). Make sure you buy the
basic theory book at a driving
centre, bookshop or petrol
stations – and do read it!
CashCards, the ERP and
Parking Coupons: The grey
box mounted above your
dashboard is the CashCard-
reading In-vehicle Unit, or IU.
You need to buy a CashCard from
a petrol station or convenience
store, which can be topped
up at the latter or at top-up
machines in most car parks. The
cards store value and are used
to pay for car parks (the fee is
debited automatically at the exit
barrier) and Electronic Road
Work continues on
Singapore’s 11th major
highway, the North-South
Expressway, a 21.5 kilometre
road that will link the East
Coast with the northern
parts of Singapore. The
project is expected to be
completed by 2026.Pricing (ERP). ERP is charged on
expressways and in the central
zones, and rates vary according
to the location and time of day.
Parking coupons are used for
street parking and HDB (Housing
Development Board) car parks
and can be purchased at petrol
stations and convenience stores.
Most residential parking is free.
Editors’ tip: If you accidently go
through the ERP without enough
money on your CashCard, go
to onepay.onemotoring.com.sg
and pay your fine online. Also,
MotorPay (motorpay.com.sg)
is a system that allows you to
pay ERP charges through your
credit card, without the hassle of
constantly stopping to top up the
amount left on your CashCard.
There’s a monthly fee of $1.07
(subject to changes). You can
also renew your road tax online.Off-Peak Car Scheme: A red
number plate means the driver
is part of the Off Peak Car
Scheme (OPCS), an initiative to
encourage car owners to drive
outside peak times. In return,
they save on car registration and
road taxes. (Off-peak drivers
can drive all day on Saturdays,
Sundays and public holidays and
on Mondays to Fridays 7pm to
7am). A $20 e-Day Licence is
required for driving an off-peak
car at any other time.SINGAPORE HACKSCITY GUIDE 2018 51