Revised Off-Peak Car VS Off-Peak Car VS Weekend Car: What’s the Difference?
(Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Did you know that if you usually drive your car during off-peak hours and weekends, you can apply for the Revised Off-Peak Car (ROPC) scheme to save on car registration-related fees and road tax?
Before ROPC, there were the Off-Peak Car (OPC) and Weekend Car (WEC) schemes. Car owners could opt for these driving schemes if they drove their cars mostly during off-peak periods. In exchange, they would receive savings for road tax and certain car registration-related fees.
However, since late January 2010, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) introduced the new ROPC scheme. Now, only the ROPC scheme is offered for registration, while the OPC and WEC schemes are no longer available for registration or conversion.
Cars currently under the OPC and WEC schemes will remain registered under their existing schemes, unless their owners apply to convert to the ROPC scheme.
So, we have two main questions to answer here, should you register your car under the ROPC scheme, and for those currently under the OPC and WEC schemes, should you convert over to the new ROPC scheme.
With that in mind, please refer to the table below detailing the similarities and differences between the schemes.
|
ROPC |
OPC and WEC |
|
|
Restricted Hours |
- 7am to 7pm from Monday to Friday, excluding Public Holidays |
- 7am to 7pm from Monday to Friday, excluding Public Holidays - Saturdays from 7am to 3pm, excluding public holidays and the eves of New Year, Lunar New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali and Christmas from 7am to 3pm |
|
Benefits of Registering |
- Rebates of up to S$17,000 to offset against the Quota Premium (QP) for a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) and the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) - A flat discount of up to S$500 on their annual road tax, subject to a minimum road tax payment of S$70 per year |
- Rebate of up to S$17,000 to offset against the QP for a COE and the ARF - A flat discount of up to S$800 on their annual road tax, subject to a minimum road tax payment of S$50 per year |
|
Benefits of Converting from Normal to ROPC |
- A flat discount of up to S$500 on annual road tax, subject to a minimum road tax payment of S$70 per year - Cash rebates up to S$1,100 for OPC for every six months the car stays as a ROPC until it reaches 10 years old |
- |
|
Benefits of Converting from Originally Registered OPC/WEC to ROPC |
- A flat discount of up to S$500 on annual road tax, subject to a minimum road tax payment of S$70 per year |
- |
|
Benefits of Converting from Converted OPC/WEC to ROPC |
- A flat discount of up to S$500 on annual road tax, subject to a minimum road tax payment of S$70 per year - If the car is eligible for Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF), there will be an additional rebate of S$2,200 per year every year the car remains as a converted OPC under the OPC Scheme - The driver will also get up to S$1,100 OPC cash rebate for every six months the car remains as a ROPC until the car reaches 10 years old |
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During the restricted hours, a valid electronic Day Licence (e-Day Licence) is needed to drive the car. Each e-Day Licence costs S$20 and you must indicate a usage date when buying an e-Day Licence.
Do also note that for both ROPC conversion scenarios, an administrative fee of S$100 is payable for the conversion. In addition, when an OPC/WEC car is converted to a ROPC, it cannot be converted back to the previous scheme.
In conclusion, there are many monetary benefits in both switching over to a ROPC scheme and having a ROPC/OPC/WEC car. But the question you need to ask yourself is, are the monetary benefits sufficient to offset the cost and convenience of using your car during peak periods?
If the answer is yes, you can click here to go to a page on the LTA website to find out more information on the ROPC, OPC and WEC schemes.
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