Commuters with Mastercard contactless bank cards can use them to pay for public transport rides under a system to be launched on April 4.

The SimplyGo platform will do away with the need to top up stored value cards, with fares for rides reflected in commuters' credit or debit card bills, in a way similar to retail purchases.

Visa card holders will get the same convenience later this year, Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary said in Parliament yesterday.

SimplyGo has been on trial by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Mastercard since March 2017, under its previous name Account-Based Ticketing.

Commuters interested in SimplyGo can register for an account and link their compatible bank cards on the TransitLink SimplyGo Portal, which is available online (simplygo.com.sg), or via the TL SimplyGo mobile app.