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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" itxtvisited="1"><TBODY itxtvisited="1"><TR itxtvisited="1"><TD itxtvisited="1">(News) 3.6m cards yet to be replaced MinMin Today, 12:18 AM </TD><TD vAlign=top width=185 align=right itxtvisited="1">#1 (permalink) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></ itxtvisited="1">
3.6m cards yet to be replaced
Long queues snaked from TransitLink ticket offices on Tuesday as commuters scrambled at the last minute to get their ez-link cards replaced. --ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
LONG queues snaked from TransitLink ticket offices on Tuesday as commuters scrambled at the last minute to get their ez-link cards replaced.
They must swop them for a new card with enhanced features by the end of today, as the old cards cannot be used on buses and trains from Thursday.
Despite repeated announcements by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) since early this year, some commuters said on Tuesday they did not know they had to change their cards. Others said they had put it off until the last minute.
The replacement exercise started in January. The LTA said that as of last Sunday, 4.4 million cards had been changed. It added that 92 per cent of public transport trips now are made with new cards.
It has estimated that eight million cards need to be replaced, which means that commuters are still holding on to about 3.6 million old ez-link cards.
With so many cards yet to be replaced, it is understood that the LTA may extend the deadline for them to be exchanged.
On Tuesday afternoon, there were long waits at ticket offices in the Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Orchard and Novena MRT stations.
Tempers flared at Novena MRT station when the ticket office's computer system went down at around 1.30pm because of a system glitch when a commuter was transferring the value of one card to another. The LTA said the glitch was not caused by the mass replacement exercise.
It was back up and running 20 minutes later.
Tuesday's last-minute rush came despite repeated reminders from the LTA through the media for commuters to change their cards.
3.6m cards yet to be replaced
Long queues snaked from TransitLink ticket offices on Tuesday as commuters scrambled at the last minute to get their ez-link cards replaced. --ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
LONG queues snaked from TransitLink ticket offices on Tuesday as commuters scrambled at the last minute to get their ez-link cards replaced.
They must swop them for a new card with enhanced features by the end of today, as the old cards cannot be used on buses and trains from Thursday.
Despite repeated announcements by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) since early this year, some commuters said on Tuesday they did not know they had to change their cards. Others said they had put it off until the last minute.
The replacement exercise started in January. The LTA said that as of last Sunday, 4.4 million cards had been changed. It added that 92 per cent of public transport trips now are made with new cards.
It has estimated that eight million cards need to be replaced, which means that commuters are still holding on to about 3.6 million old ez-link cards.
With so many cards yet to be replaced, it is understood that the LTA may extend the deadline for them to be exchanged.
On Tuesday afternoon, there were long waits at ticket offices in the Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Orchard and Novena MRT stations.
Tempers flared at Novena MRT station when the ticket office's computer system went down at around 1.30pm because of a system glitch when a commuter was transferring the value of one card to another. The LTA said the glitch was not caused by the mass replacement exercise.
It was back up and running 20 minutes later.
Tuesday's last-minute rush came despite repeated reminders from the LTA through the media for commuters to change their cards.
