SINGAPORE: Commuters will not be made to switch to the SimplyGo payment platform, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat announced on Monday (Jan 22), reversing a decision on the move to phase out the older ticketing system following complaints.
The government will spend an additional S$40 million so that commuters can continue to use EZ-Link cards and NETS FlashPay cards if they wish to.
Those who have upgraded to a SimplyGo EZ-Link card may also exchange it for the previous EZ-Link card for free if they prefer.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said earlier this month that non-SimplyGo EZ-Link cards and NETS FlashPay cards can no longer be used to pay for public transport fares from Jun 1.
This upset some commuters as a card’s balance is not displayed at the MRT fare gate or bus card reader. Users who want to check their card balance have to rely on ticketing machines or the SimplyGo app.
Following public concern, LTA said on Monday that it will extend the existing adult card-based ticketing system to operate together with the SimplyGo system – as is the case currently.
This means adult commuters can continue using EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards or their SimplyGo-compatible cards on public transport.
Adult commuters who have purchased a SimplyGo EZ-Link card, or converted their EZ-Link cards to SimplyGo EZ-Link cards from Jan 9 to Jan 22 inclusive, can exchange their cards for free.
Meanwhile, concession cardholders who received a SimplyGo-compatible card or converted their cards to SimplyGo on or before Jan 22 can also exchange their card for free, if they do not wish to continue using SimplyGo cards.
This group includes seniors, students, Workfare Transport Concession cardholders and people with disabilities, said LTA.
More details on the card exchange will be available by end-February.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat acknowledged the concerns of commuters who want to continue seeing their fare deductions and card balances at fare gates and bus card readers.
“We will spend an additional S$40 million so that commuters can continue to use EZ-Link cards and NETS FlashPay cards if they wish to,” he said.
In the meantime, LTA will study ways to enhance the features and improve the user experience for account-based ticketing cards – which include SimplyGo and bank cards.
In particular, the authority will look at possible solutions for such cards to display fare deductions and stored value card balances at fare gates and bus card readers, added Mr Chee.
Some commuters told CNA a few days after the announcement that they encountered hiccups in the upgrading process.
A surge in transaction volumes caused the SimplyGo app and ticketing machines to be less responsive, said LTA at the time.
Last Friday, a free exchange service for those looking to swap their NETS FlashPay cards for the NETS Prepaid Card was "temporarily unavailable" until further notice. The planned exchange at SimplyGo ticket offices was initially scheduled to begin that day and run until Jul 18.
On Saturday, the SimplyGo upgrade feature was also "temporarily unavailable" at some ticketing machines.
“I apologise on behalf of MOT (the Ministry of Transport) and LTA for the delays commuters experienced when they tried to convert their existing EZ-Link cards. This could have been avoided with better preparation,” said Mr Chee.
"LTA has worked to address this issue. It has updated the SimplyGo app and speeded up the card conversion process."
On Monday, the Transport Minister also highlighted that cards like SimplyGo and bank cards have become more popular, with about 40 per cent of adult commuters now using bank cards or mobile wallets.
Such cards also "have their benefits", he said.
If a commuter misplaces this card, the balance can be protected because the value is stored in the user's account.
On the other hand, if they misplace their current adult EZ-Link card or NETS FlashPay card, the value in their card will be lost.
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The government will spend an additional S$40 million so that commuters can continue to use EZ-Link cards and NETS FlashPay cards if they wish to.
Those who have upgraded to a SimplyGo EZ-Link card may also exchange it for the previous EZ-Link card for free if they prefer.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said earlier this month that non-SimplyGo EZ-Link cards and NETS FlashPay cards can no longer be used to pay for public transport fares from Jun 1.
This upset some commuters as a card’s balance is not displayed at the MRT fare gate or bus card reader. Users who want to check their card balance have to rely on ticketing machines or the SimplyGo app.
Following public concern, LTA said on Monday that it will extend the existing adult card-based ticketing system to operate together with the SimplyGo system – as is the case currently.
This means adult commuters can continue using EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards or their SimplyGo-compatible cards on public transport.
Related:
FREE EXCHANGE OF CARDS
Adult commuters who have purchased a SimplyGo EZ-Link card, or converted their EZ-Link cards to SimplyGo EZ-Link cards from Jan 9 to Jan 22 inclusive, can exchange their cards for free.
Meanwhile, concession cardholders who received a SimplyGo-compatible card or converted their cards to SimplyGo on or before Jan 22 can also exchange their card for free, if they do not wish to continue using SimplyGo cards.
This group includes seniors, students, Workfare Transport Concession cardholders and people with disabilities, said LTA.
More details on the card exchange will be available by end-February.
Related:
SPENDING S$40M TO RETAIN PAYMENT OPTION
In a Facebook post on Monday, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat acknowledged the concerns of commuters who want to continue seeing their fare deductions and card balances at fare gates and bus card readers.
“We will spend an additional S$40 million so that commuters can continue to use EZ-Link cards and NETS FlashPay cards if they wish to,” he said.
In the meantime, LTA will study ways to enhance the features and improve the user experience for account-based ticketing cards – which include SimplyGo and bank cards.
In particular, the authority will look at possible solutions for such cards to display fare deductions and stored value card balances at fare gates and bus card readers, added Mr Chee.
Some commuters told CNA a few days after the announcement that they encountered hiccups in the upgrading process.
A surge in transaction volumes caused the SimplyGo app and ticketing machines to be less responsive, said LTA at the time.
Last Friday, a free exchange service for those looking to swap their NETS FlashPay cards for the NETS Prepaid Card was "temporarily unavailable" until further notice. The planned exchange at SimplyGo ticket offices was initially scheduled to begin that day and run until Jul 18.
On Saturday, the SimplyGo upgrade feature was also "temporarily unavailable" at some ticketing machines.
“I apologise on behalf of MOT (the Ministry of Transport) and LTA for the delays commuters experienced when they tried to convert their existing EZ-Link cards. This could have been avoided with better preparation,” said Mr Chee.
"LTA has worked to address this issue. It has updated the SimplyGo app and speeded up the card conversion process."
On Monday, the Transport Minister also highlighted that cards like SimplyGo and bank cards have become more popular, with about 40 per cent of adult commuters now using bank cards or mobile wallets.
Such cards also "have their benefits", he said.
If a commuter misplaces this card, the balance can be protected because the value is stored in the user's account.
On the other hand, if they misplace their current adult EZ-Link card or NETS FlashPay card, the value in their card will be lost.
Continue reading...