Many elderly people are worried about the Land Transport Authority's (LTA's) move to have cashless top-ups for ez-link cards by 2020 (Some seniors worry about cashless top-ups; Aug 22).

Going cashless has its advantages - people do not need to carry cash, thereby reducing the chances of the money being lost or stolen.

To encourage the use of cashless payments, perhaps the LTA should consider providing incentives for every top-up senior citizens make over an established introductory period.

For instance, if they top up $10, they will get $11 of stored value, $20 will get $22, and so on, up to a maximum of $30 per month.

In the initial period, a trained staff member who can converse in local dialects should be stationed at the machines to guide senior citizens. This must be done whenever there are changes or upgrades to the machines.

Community organisations, such as community centres and residents' committees, can conduct talks on how to use the cashless top-up machines.

Perhaps a step-by-step guide to using the machines can also be disseminated to the elderly.

Donny Ho Boon Tiong