By Andy Hum UNDER THE NEW scheme, by end January 2010, off-peak cars (OPCs) will be allowed unrestricted usage on Saturdays, and on the eves of New Year, Lunar New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali and Christmas. Existing OPC owners can opt for this at a cost of $100. It’s not all peachy, though. The extended usage means that the road tax discount will be reduced from $800 to $500. One notable improvement to the 15-year-old OPC scheme is the ‘eDay Licence’, an electronic day licence which replaces the current $20 per day paper licence. It also allows OPC drivers to use their cars first during restricted hours and only purchase the licence by the end of the next day. Another change to the programme’s mechanism is how the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will provide rebates. Currently, a newly-registered OPC will get a $17,000 tax rebate. However, for a normal car that has been converted to OPC, the tax rebate will only be paid as a lump sum upon de-registration. The new system will pay out cash rebates up to $1,100 for every six months that the car is registered as an OPC, until it is 10-years-old.