SINGAPORE – Adult ez-link cards that are not on the SimplyGo account-based system and Nets FlashPay cards can continue to be used for public transport fare payments until at least 2030, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said.
To keep this card-based ticketing system going for six more years, an estimated $40 million will be needed for new equipment and hardware, as well as maintenance and operating costs, Mr Chee said on Jan 26.
The Government will foot this bill, which means it will not have an impact on bus and train fares, he told reporters in an interview at the Ministry of Transport (MOT) headquarters in Alexandra Road.
On the transition to SimplyGo, which was shelved on Jan 22, Mr Chee said the authorities had underestimated the strong preference among adult passengers to view the fares charged at payment readers, which is not possible with the account-based system.
He apologised to passengers for this error in judgment.
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Asked why the card-based system is being extended only till 2030, Mr Chee said: “All IT systems have a certain shelf life. At the end of the shelf life, you will need to decide whether you need to further upgrade and buy new equipment and hardware, or upgrade the operating system.”
MOT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) declined to reveal the age of the system.
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Mr Chee said the authorities will decide later whether the card-based system will have to be extended again beyond 2030.
A key factor will be whether a solution can be found to the technical difficulties hindering SimplyGo from displaying fares charged on payment readers.
Mr Chee added that in making this future decision, the authorities will consult widely to get views from passengers and industry experts.
Unlike a card-based system, which stores data directly on the cards and processes transactions instantly when passengers tap out at MRT stops or on buses, SimplyGo handles fare payments on back-end servers.
Mr Chee, who was appointed Transport Minister on Jan 18, stressed again that there are no available technical solutions that can fix the fare display issue for account-based systems here and overseas.
But he said LTA will work with other government agencies and industry partners in finding one.
“If we can do this, and it does not pause or slow down the flow of commuters, it is something that I think many commuters would find more convenient,” he said.
“It will also make it more conducive for us to encourage more people to switch over to the new SimplyGo system.”
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The authorities earlier said it was technically possible for fare information to be shown at transaction points with SimplyGo, but it would take a few seconds to retrieve this information from the back end and this will lead to longer queues.
LTA had announced on Jan 9 that all adult public transport users must make the switch to SimplyGo by June, but it pulled the plug on the move barely two weeks later.
Therefore, Singapore will now have three public transport ticketing systems running in parallel, said Mr Chee, who is also Second Minister for Finance.
SimplyGo allows fare payments using bank cards, mobile wallets and stored-value cards, while the card-based system is for adult transport cards such as existing ez-link cards.
There is also a separate card-based system for concession cards, which is not affected by the SimplyGo transition.
The authorities will explore ways to integrate the two card-based systems over time, the minister said.
This will help to lower maintenance, operational and hardware costs, but because the two systems are not compatible with each other, it cannot be done overnight and the process will be gradual, he added.
“For example, when the existing cards expire, we are then able to move users to an integrated system and issue them a new card under this system. Over time, as we do this, we can then have the opportunity to integrate the two systems progressively,” he said.
An ez-link card is valid for five years, while Nets FlashPay cards and concession cards for seniors and those with disabilities are valid for seven years.
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Mr Chee did not answer questions about how much it costs to run all the ticketing systems here. He also did not give specifics when asked when the system for concession cards is set to reach the end of its operational life.
MOT and LTA, too, declined to say how the card-based systems for adults and concession card users differ from each other.
Public transport systems in places such as Hong Kong and London that have started shifting to account-based ticketing platforms also concurrently run systems that offer card-centric modes of payment to cater to the needs of various groups.
Explaining the earlier decision to move to SimplyGo, Mr Chee said the card-based system for adult users was reaching the end of its operational lifespan in 2024.
Faced with a decision of phasing the older system out or extending it, Mr Chee said LTA wanted to try to avoid incurring the $40 million needed to keep the system going.
He said LTA will do its best to spend the $40 million prudently and reduce costs where possible.
“When we spend public funds, we want to do so prudently... At the same time, in areas where we need to spend, we will do so,” he added.
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Retired tutor Chua Ting Hua, 68, said many of her friends who updated their cards to SimplyGo have had difficulties using the SimplyGo app, and hence, improvements must be made.
“Regardless of till when they extend the old system, it will be good only if they can show the card balance on the new system at the end,” she added.
Facility management purchaser Toh Yong Soon, who started using a SimplyGo-compatible ez-link card six months ago, said he would switch back to the card-based ticketing system.
The 48-year-old said it was good that the authorities admitted they misjudged the situation but felt there were still unanswered questions.
“For example, what is so different about the two types of (card-based) systems? We need more information,” he said.
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