SINGAPORE – From March 18 to June 30, adults who had converted their travel cards to the account-based ticketing system SimplyGo can get a new ez-link card that is compatible with the older card-based ticketing system from all 44 ticket offices islandwide.
This will allow them to see fare deductions and card balances on fare readers once again – a function unavailable with SimplyGo.
Adult passengers who updated their cards to SimplyGo or bought a SimplyGo ez-link card between Jan 9 and 22 are eligible for the new cards. They can continue using their SimplyGo-compatible cards even after collecting the new cards, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Feb 28.
The collection process will be staggered based on the last digit of a user’s SimplyGo ez-link card identification number, LTA added.
For instance, those with ez-link card identification numbers ending with the digit 1 or 2 will be scheduled to collect their cards between March 18 and 24, while those with numbers ending with 9 or 0 will be able to pick up the cards from April 15 to 28.
Those who bought a Nets Prepaid Card from Jan 9 to 22 can also collect a free Nets FlashPay card, which is compatible with the card-based system, at ticket offices from April 1 to June 30.
Concession card holders who are seniors, persons with disabilities or lower-wage workers, as well as adult monthly travel card holders, will be mailed replacement cards between April 1 and May 31. To qualify, they must have been issued SimplyGo cards or converted their travel cards to the account-based system on Jan 22 or earlier.
LTA’s statement on Feb 28 came more than a month after the authorities shelved plans, announced on Jan 9, to have all adult passengers update their existing travel cards to SimplyGo. Nets FlashPay cards were also to be replaced with SimplyGo-compatible Nets Prepaid Cards.
The authorities walked back the move barely two weeks later on Jan 22, after some passengers expressed unhappiness that they could not see fare transaction data immediately when tapping out of buses and MRT stations.
The Government will spend an estimated $40 million to keep the card-based system going until at least 2030.