Fare display using SimplyGo EZ-Link cards 'technically possible' but slow, says LTA
12 Jan 2024 09:19PM (Updated: 12 Jan 2024 09:52PM)
SINGAPORE: Three days after it had stated that commuters using SimplyGo are unable to view fare information at station gates and bus readers because of the way such transactions are processed, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said this was, in fact, "technically possible".
The issue has emerged as one of the main sticking points among commuters following Tuesday's (Jan 9) announcement that bus and train payment cards must be upgraded to the SimplyGo system.
In response to CNA queries, LTA said on Friday that upon tapping a SimplyGo EZ-Link card, 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.
"While this is technically possible, it will slow down the entry and exit for commuters," said LTA.
"Given the large numbers of commuters who are taking MRT and buses, this will lead to longer queues which is not desirable."
The decision to completely migrate the system to SimplyGo has stirred up questions about whether such a move was necessary, with many commuters expressing their displeasure online.
One common complaint was that under the SimplyGo system, a card’s balance is not displayed at the MRT fare gate or bus card reader.
Instead, the screen will show only "SimplyGo", and users who want to check their card balance have to rely on ticketing machines or the SimplyGo app.
"We have designed the SimplyGo app to allow commuters to view this information and more," said LTA, pointing to the app alerts on fares for each trip via push notifications on a user's phone.
"SimplyGo users who prefer not to use the app can also view their trip details and card balance at ticketing machines located at every train station and bus interchange."
Some commuters were also frustrated at why the existing systems had to be removed, instead of integrating new systems with old ones.
"While (the Card-Based Ticketing system) has served us well, the CBT system for adult commuters is now reaching the end of its operational lifespan," said LTA on Friday, adding that two in three adult commuters have adopted SimplyGo since December 2023.
"Instead of renewing the CBT system and continuing to run two systems which is very costly, we have decided to continue only with the SimplyGo system for adult commuters from Jun 1, 2024. "
LTA said it understands that commuters who have not yet switched to SimplyGo will need time to adjust to the new system.
"That is why we made the announcement of the transition a few months before Jun 1," said the agency, adding that service ambassadors will be deployed at train stations and bus interchanges to assist commuters.
"We will continue to leverage advancements in technology to improve the experience of checking fares and card balances with SimplyGo."
UPGRADING PROCESS
The upgrading process has not gone quite as smoothly as some commuters would have liked as well, with some telling CNA that they encountered issues.At City Hall station on Friday, one commuter said she was unable to upgrade her card at two stations.
Another two said they encountered hiccups during their attempt - the ticketing machine initially dispensed receipts saying the upgrade failed but the process resumed when they left their cards on the reader. They said the whole process took about five minutes.
LTA said there had been a surge in the number of commuters upgrading their cards at ticketing machines, and that more people downloaded the SimplyGo app after the announcement.
The surge in transaction volume resulted in the app and ticketing machines becoming less responsive and TransitLink has made enhancements to their app to address the issue, said an LTA spokesperson.
"LTA has also been working with our vendors to enhance our backend systems to handle more upgrades," the spokesperson added.
