Commuters unhappy with 25-cent levy for GIRO top-up of new ez-link card
By Gladys Ow, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 11 September 2009 1754 hrs
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</TD><TD class=bodytext vAlign=top width="60%" align=left>Commuters unhappy with 25-cent levy for GIRO top-up of new ez-link card</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top background=images/dotline_240.gif align=left>
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SINGAPORE : Some commuters who have swopped their old ez-link cards for new ones are up in arms.
That is because they will now have to pay 25 cents every time they use GIRO to top up the new adult ez-link card.
The old adult ez-link cards, managed by TransitLink, allow commuters to top up the cards' value through GIRO at no cost.
TransitLink said it was a business decision taken by TransitLink in 2002 not to pass on the cost of providing the scheme to commuters.
But now with the new CEPAS-compliant adult ez-link cards issued by EZ-Link - a company formed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in January 2002 to manage Singapore's single largest contactless Stored Value Smart Card System mainly used for payments on public buses and Mass Rapid Transit trains - commuters will have to pay a 25-cent convenience fee for every GIRO top-up.
EZ-Link said the 25 cents levy is necessary to recover costs associated with providing the GIRO top-up service.
There is also a one-time application fee of S$1.50, but to encourage commuters to sign up for the new GIRO top-up service, EZ-Link will waive the application fee from now until 26 February 2010.
One writer to the TODAY newspaper feels that the extra charge defeats the government's call to encourage the use of cashless payment. And some commuters said they are not willing to pay the price for convenience.
Ng Siaw Lei, ez-link card user, said: "I do not think it is fair that this charge is passed on to consumers. I do not think I will be continuing with this GIRO service because it is also quite a lengthy process. And now that there is a 25-cent charge, I think I am better off using the Citibank-SMRT card which gives you cash rebates."
In response to Channel NewsAsia, LTA said card providers such as EZ-Link or credit card companies are free to determine their costs to ensure business survival while meeting customers' needs.
LTA said: "With regard to the question of the fee related to automatic GIRO top-up, this is a commercial consideration by the card issuer to provide for a waiver or to require a nominal fee. Card issuers have to consider the charges that are imposed on them to provide this service to the users of their card.
"Hence, the decision to waive or charge a fee are market driven, as they are left to individual card issuers to determine. Given that CEPAS allows other card issuers to also enter the market, card issuers will have to decide how they will balance the needs of their customers to maintain commercial viability while meeting the needs of their customers."
=> Then why only Familee-owned Peasants' transport companies are allowed to operate in the Leegime?
EZ-Link said it is not possible for the company to provide the GIRO top-up service without recovering the processing costs associated with it.
=> Just admit that this is a convenient reason for Ho Jinx to suck money from the Peasants to pay for her gambling losses lah!
The company said the EZ-Reload by GIRO is a premium service that is offered in addition to the numerous free top-up channels that are already available to commuters, such as General Ticketing Machines, Add-Value Machines, TransitLink Ticket Offices as well as DBS/POSB ATMs and AXS D-Pay stations. - CNA/ms
By Gladys Ow, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 11 September 2009 1754 hrs
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</TD><TD class=bodytext vAlign=top width="60%" align=left>Commuters unhappy with 25-cent levy for GIRO top-up of new ez-link card</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top background=images/dotline_240.gif align=left>
SINGAPORE : Some commuters who have swopped their old ez-link cards for new ones are up in arms.
That is because they will now have to pay 25 cents every time they use GIRO to top up the new adult ez-link card.
The old adult ez-link cards, managed by TransitLink, allow commuters to top up the cards' value through GIRO at no cost.
TransitLink said it was a business decision taken by TransitLink in 2002 not to pass on the cost of providing the scheme to commuters.
But now with the new CEPAS-compliant adult ez-link cards issued by EZ-Link - a company formed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in January 2002 to manage Singapore's single largest contactless Stored Value Smart Card System mainly used for payments on public buses and Mass Rapid Transit trains - commuters will have to pay a 25-cent convenience fee for every GIRO top-up.
EZ-Link said the 25 cents levy is necessary to recover costs associated with providing the GIRO top-up service.
There is also a one-time application fee of S$1.50, but to encourage commuters to sign up for the new GIRO top-up service, EZ-Link will waive the application fee from now until 26 February 2010.
One writer to the TODAY newspaper feels that the extra charge defeats the government's call to encourage the use of cashless payment. And some commuters said they are not willing to pay the price for convenience.
Ng Siaw Lei, ez-link card user, said: "I do not think it is fair that this charge is passed on to consumers. I do not think I will be continuing with this GIRO service because it is also quite a lengthy process. And now that there is a 25-cent charge, I think I am better off using the Citibank-SMRT card which gives you cash rebates."
In response to Channel NewsAsia, LTA said card providers such as EZ-Link or credit card companies are free to determine their costs to ensure business survival while meeting customers' needs.
LTA said: "With regard to the question of the fee related to automatic GIRO top-up, this is a commercial consideration by the card issuer to provide for a waiver or to require a nominal fee. Card issuers have to consider the charges that are imposed on them to provide this service to the users of their card.
"Hence, the decision to waive or charge a fee are market driven, as they are left to individual card issuers to determine. Given that CEPAS allows other card issuers to also enter the market, card issuers will have to decide how they will balance the needs of their customers to maintain commercial viability while meeting the needs of their customers."
=> Then why only Familee-owned Peasants' transport companies are allowed to operate in the Leegime?
EZ-Link said it is not possible for the company to provide the GIRO top-up service without recovering the processing costs associated with it.
=> Just admit that this is a convenient reason for Ho Jinx to suck money from the Peasants to pay for her gambling losses lah!
The company said the EZ-Reload by GIRO is a premium service that is offered in addition to the numerous free top-up channels that are already available to commuters, such as General Ticketing Machines, Add-Value Machines, TransitLink Ticket Offices as well as DBS/POSB ATMs and AXS D-Pay stations. - CNA/ms
