SINGAPORE - From June 1, adult fares on public transport can no longer be paid using ez-link cards that are not compatible with the SimplyGo platform. Nets FlashPay cards will also not be accepted.

The announcement by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Jan 9 drew brickbats from the public, who took to social media and The Straits Times Forum page to air their grievances.

In addition to questioning the rationale for moving away from what seems to be a well-oiled system, users were also frustrated by the inability to see the fares charged at the point of transaction on buses and at MRT stations after upgrading their cards to the SimplyGo platform.

The Straits Times answers some burning questions about the move.

Q: Why can’t I see my fares on fare readers with SimplyGo?

A: Transactions made on Nets FlashPay cards and older ez-link cards not upgraded to SimplyGo – which are part of what is known as the legacy card-based ticketing system – are processed at MRT fare gates and card readers on buses.

With SimplyGo, however, the transactions are handled on the back end, and therefore fares charged are not displayed on fare readers.

This is similar to credit card payments for public transport fares.

In a statement on Jan 12, LTA said that when a user taps his SimplyGo ez-link card, it is technically possible for the fare gates and bus card readers to obtain and display the card balance and deduction information from the back-end system. 

However, this will take a few seconds, and slow down the entry and exit of passengers, said the authority. “Given the large numbers of commuters who are taking the MRT and buses, this will lead to longer queues, which are not desirable,” said LTA.  

Q: Why the need to make the change now?

A: SimplyGo is an account-based system for public transport fare payments. It was launched in 2019 by LTA to handle digital ticketing and e-payment options – such as contactless bank cards – for public transport.

LTA said on Jan 9 that SimplyGo payment methods now account for the majority of adult fare transactions on public transport, and the current card-based ticketing system is near the end of its operational lifespan.

In December 2023, there were 2.6 million adult fare payments a day made on the SimplyGo system, compared with 1.5 million such transactions daily on the card-based ticketing system.

Therefore, LTA said: “Instead of renewing the card-based ticketing system and continuing to run two systems, which is very costly, we have decided to continue only with the SimplyGo system for adult commuters from June 1.   

“We understand that commuters who have not yet switched to SimplyGo will need time to adjust to the new system. That is why we made the announcement of the transition a few months before June 1.”

Q: How did SimplyGo come about?

A: LTA launched SimplyGo on April 4, 2019, when it announced that Mastercard contactless cards can be used to pay for adult travel fares without pre-registration. Visa was added two months later, and Nets was introduced in November 2019.

By that month, more than 350,000 trips on the public transport network were paid with SimplyGo each day.

In 2020, signing up to the SimplyGo platform was a requirement for commuters to get rewards under a scheme LTA launched to shift commuters from the North-East MRT line to using buses during peak hours.

In September 2020, an upgraded ez-link card was trialled on the SimplyGo platform. EZ-Link, an LTA subsidiary, called the trial “a crucial first step” in integrating the ez-link card with the SimplyGo platform.

From January 2021, ez-link adult card holders were given the option to update their existing cards to the account-based system at ticketing machines or buy a new account-based ez-link card from ticket offices.

In October 2022, concession card holders, other than students in primary and secondary schools, junior colleges and Millennia Institute, were given the option to upgrade their existing ez-link cards to being SimplyGo-compatible. This followed an earlier pilot programme involving 1,300 concession cardholders.

In March 2023, LTA said that one in two adult trips made was on the SimplyGo platform. The agency announced that it would integrate all transit ticketing and travel card-related services, which have been handled by its two subsidiaries, TransitLink and EZ-Link. These two entities are expected to be merged in the second half of 2024.

It also said then that the TransitLink SimplyGo and EZ-Link mobile apps will be merged.

Q: What can SimplyGo do that the existing card-based system can’t?

A: SimplyGo allows users to remotely cancel their misplaced card if it is paired with the SimplyGo app and retain the monetary value in their back-end account, which was not possible under the legacy card-based ticketing system, said LTA. Other features include topping up family members’ account-based travel cards, and receiving notifications about low balances in their card accounts.

Q: Do I have to use SimplyGo on public transport, and what are the alternatives?

A: Those with existing ez-link cards who wish to use them for public transport rides from June 1 can go to SimplyGo ticket offices or ticketing machines at MRT stations or bus interchanges to get their cards upgraded.

In doing so, the ez-link card will become SimplyGo-compatible and can be used to pay adult fares for buses and MRT trains. But after the upgrade, it will no longer be possible to use it to pay for motoring-related expenses like parking and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges.

It is not a must to use the SimplyGo app. It is still possible to top up SimplyGo-compatible cards at ticketing machines and offices, and view trip details and card balances at the machines in train stations and bus interchanges. 

But the app is required for features such as blocking misplaced cards. It is also possible to pair and manage up to 10 cards on the SimplyGo app. This makes it possible to top up cards for a family member who does not use the app, for example.

An alternative is to use contactless bank cards from Mastercard, Visa or Nets to pay for your public transport fares. The fare charges will be accumulated and posted to the banks, so there will be a delay in the payment being shown on your bank card statement.

Nets FlashPay cards will no longer be accepted for adult fare payments from June 1.

These cards can be exchanged for a Nets Prepaid card, which can be used on public transport. But Nets FlashPay cards can continue to be used for retail purchases at convenience stores or motoring-related expenses like carpark and ERP charges.

The phase-out of non-compatible ez-link and Nets FlashPay cards does not affect passengers using concession cards, including seniors and students.