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The Weekend Car Scheme

The Weekend Car Scheme (currently known as "off-peak cars" or OPC) was introduced on 1 May 1991. The scheme allowed the owner of a car to drive it only during specified hours, mainly on weekends.

Objectives and rules
The objective of this system was to allow Singaporeans, especially the lower income groups, to own cars without contributing to traffic congestion. Car buyers who opted for this scheme were given tax rebates and a discount on their road taxes. Weekend car buyers have six categories to bid for a licence or Certificate of Entitlement (COE).

Categories
Small cars: 1000 c.c.
Medium sized cars: 1001 - 1600 c.c., including taxis.
Big cars: 1601 - 200 c.c.
Luxury cars: 2001 c.c. and above.
Motorcyles
Commercial vehicles: Goods vehicles and private buses.

There is an "Open" category to allow for shifts in demand.

The original hours for use were:
Weekdays: 7:00 pm - 7:00 am.
Saturdays: after 3:00 pm.
Sundays and public holidays: All day.

By 2 October 2000, the weekend cars could be converted to normal use.

Statistics
As of July 1994, of the 9,493 new cars registered as weekend cars, 93% were owned by single-car owners while 90% were medium-sized to small-sized cars. By 2000, only 4,900 cars remained on this scheme. As of July 2002, only 1,148 units were registered on this scheme.



Author
Eugene Tan



References 
Public Works Department. (1992). The road ahead: Land transportation in Singapore: A PWD report. Singapore: Author.
Call no.: RSING 388.4095957 SIN)

Aim of weekend car scheme must be preserved (1994, August 27). The Business Times, EL, p. 2.

How the system works. (1990, February 27). The Straits Times.

Six categories to help buyers from the lower and middle income. (1990, February 27). The Straits Times.

Tan, C. (2002, August 28). LTA to change rebate for off-peak cars. The Business Times.

Weekend car scheme: Why some people will go for it. (1990, December 15). TheStraits Times, p. 3.


Further Readings
Lee, W. (1990). Quota system and the ARF/PARF scheme. Singapore: Singapore National Printers.
(Call no.: RSING 388.049095957 LEE)

The information in this article is valid as at 1998 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Events>>National Campaigns
Automobiles--Licenses--Singapore
Traffic engineering--Singapore
Law and government>>Safety administration>>Land transportation



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