SimplyGo will eventually be a universal card for public transport, retail, and motoring, said Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat in Parliament on Monday (5 Feb).
He was speaking for the first time in Parliament as Transport Minister. Last month, Mr Chee apologised for a “judgment error” involving sunsetting the EZ-Link card system in favour of SimplyGo.
Authorities are working towards integrating SimplyGo and allowing for cards to be used for motoring, public transport, and retail, he revealed.
However, Mr Chee warned that they require time — more than a year — to find solutions to existing issues, hence the extension of the EZ-Link system until at least 2023.
The plan is to continue enhancing the user experience and over time, commuters can use SimplyGo for motoring, public transport, and retail — just like they do with EZ-Link today.
“But the process will take some time, and that’s why we need to extend the Card-Based Ticketing (CBT) system for commuters at this point in time, as the current system is nearing the end of its life in 2024,” Mr Chee said.
Responding to Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam’s suggestion to extend the current system by a year to fix SimplyGo’s issues, Mr Chee said this wouldn’t be possible as it is unlikely they’d find a solution in just a year.
Noting the need for more time after putting in the hardware and necessary equipment, Mr Chee added: “We thought it would be more prudent for us to plan for it to run… for at least a few years, until at least 2030.”
“That would give us time to be able to explore possible solutions together with industry experts and other Government agencies.”
Mr Chee also addressed other questions from MPs regarding SimplyGo.
Source: MCI Singapore on YouTube
He explained that the authorities had decided to sunset the EZ-Link system when it expires in 2024 in a bid to save costs.
They noted that around 70% of commuters are using SimplyGo, either via contactless bank cards or a SimplyGo public transport card.
The authorities thus arrived at the decision after consulting various groups and conducting a field exercise with around 1,000 commuters.
“LTA did do a consultation with more than a thousand commuters…part of the exercise involved giving commuters CBT cards for them to try.”
The commuters included adults, students, and seniors.
However, Mr Chee acknowledged that they could have consulted more widely and had “underestimated the strong preference” for fare displays.
Mr Chee said as well that S$40 million will be set aside to maintain the current EZ-Link card system alongside SimplyGo.
However, this will not affect fares and the Government will bear the cost.
SimplyGo still takes several seconds to display fares, which can cause congestion during peak periods.
Responding to Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Saktiandi Supaat’s question of how other countries have handled this issue, Mr Chee replied that cities, notably Hong Kong and London, still use a mix of card-based and account-based systems.
This is because they haven’t found a solution either.
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Featured image adapted from MCI Singapore on YouTube.
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