SINGAPORE - State Courts users can now pay their bail sums, court fees and fines with the help of a new self-service payment kiosk.

The new Automated Collection System (ACS), which was launched on the July 1 this year, is one of the first to allow multiple modes of payment including cash, cheque, Nets and credit cards.

The machine was introduced to make court services more accessible and convenient.

Prior to the launch of the new ACS, all transactions were handled by cashiers. Every year, the State Courts collects about $56 million in court fees and fines, and a further $14 million of bail monies, the courts said in a media statement on Friday (Sept 2).

Now, with the new kiosks, court users can opt to settle their own payments by simply scanning the QR codes on the payment advice and entering any information required on a user-friendly, touch-screen display when prompted.

As the ACS is integrated with the State Courts' existing finance managing system, users can expect to be able to make a payment immediately after a case concludes.

Should any problems arise, court users can request assistance using the kiosk's in-built intercom.

The kiosks will also boost efficiency by allowing the State Courts to increase the number of service points while maintaining their current number of staff. In addition, staff previously employed as cashiers can be re-deployed to fill other roles.

There are currently two machines in use, and a third machine will be added soon. Over the past two months, the kiosks processed an average of 65 payments each day, and the system received positive feedback from customers.

Currently, the ACS is only found in the State Courts, but other public agencies have expressed an interest in adopting the kiosk technology to automate their cashier counters.