Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said, in Parliament yesterday, that any data collected by the new satellite-tracked Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system will be anonymised and aggregated to mask the identity of those tracked, reported The Straits Times.

This was in response to concerns from Mr. Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) and Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam regarding privacy with the new system.

For instance, the system may be able to know that a motorist travelled from Toa Payoh Lorong 1 to Cecil Street between 8:05am and 8:30am on a Monday, but it will identify him or her only as a digit. And this digit will be lumped together with hundreds or thousands of others who move in a similar pattern.

Such information will give the Land Transport Authority (LTA) a timely and accurate picture of traffic conditions, which it will broadcast to motorists to help them avoid jams.

Mr. Lui also said the tender process for the new ERP system - which is expected to be up before 2020 - is ongoing, hence it would not be prudent to comment on its cost.

Meanwhile, Mr. Cedric Foo (Pioneer) asked how the system - which will be able to charge according to distance clocked as well as place and time - will impact users such as cabbies and commercial vehicle drivers, who tend to 'dwell more in congested areas'.

Mr. Lui said, "We want to make sure that it is an equitable system. Today, you are charged the same rate, no matter how long you stay on the road... We will arrive at as fair a system as possible."