SINGAPORE: Commuters will no longer be made to switch to the SimplyGo payment platform for public transport, as the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has reversed a decision 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, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat announced on Monday (Jan 22).
Those who have upgraded to a SimplyGo EZ-Link card may exchange it for the previous EZ-Link card for free if they prefer to use the older ticketing system.
Announcing the decision on Monday,
Mr Chee acknowledged the concerns of commuters who want to see their fare deductions and card balances when they tap out at fare gates and bus card readers. They are currently not able to do so using SimplyGo cards.
Explaining why this is the case, LTA said on Jan 12 that while it is "technically possible", it would take a "few seconds" for fare gates and bus readers to obtain and display the card balance and deduction information from the backend system. This would, in turn, slow down the entry and exit for commuters.
"I have discussed your feedback and concerns with MOT (Ministry of Transport) and LTA," Mr Chee said in a Facebook post.
"We have decided to extend the use of the current CBT (card-based ticketing) system for adult commuters, and not to sunset the system in 2024 as originally planned.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sin...d-lta-u-turn-free-exchange-40-million-4064446