In a news report, the Land Transport Authority explained that it takes a few seconds for the SimplyGo platform to compute the transport fare, due to the heavy traffic.
They are not able to display the balance of the fare card at the exit device, as the few seconds would hold up the people at the exit gantry.
This delay could be reduced by increasing the capacity of the server, so that the calculation could be done more quickly.
The current fare formula is too complicated and takes a longer time to computer.
The formula can be simplifed, for example, by charging an individual (lower) fare for each segment, instead of combining the segments into one fare.
For example, if the journey comprise of a bus journey followed by a MRT journey, the fare could be $1 for the bus ride and $0.80 for the MRT journey, making a total of $1.80.
If the fare for each segment is calculated individually based on distanced, the fare could be $0.30 for the bus and $1.40 for the train. If there is a further bus ride to reach the final destination, the fare could be an additional $0.30.
If the fare formula is simplified, it is possible for the fare to computed at the exit device, rather than the server. This will allow the balance to be displayed immediately.
I hope that the LTA will consider this approach .
Tan Kin Lian