The SimplyGo saga that made headlines this month culminated in a move to retain the old card-based ticketing (CBT) system.
Sharing the news on Monday (22 Jan), Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat’s announcement came following commuters’ feedback and concerns.
He added that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Ministry of Transport (MOT) will spend an extra S$40 million — so that those who wish to use their EZ-Link cards and NETS FlashPay cards can do so.
While most Singaporeans might have considered this a win, others are not as easily convinced.
Some commuters shared that the decision seemed hasty and that the government might have missed the chance to improve the nation’s infrastructure.
In a poll on Answers.sg asking Singaporeans if they’re happy that the old EZ-Link card has been retained, the majority of the 573 respondents answered positively.
62% of respondents strongly agree that they are happy with the move. Meanwhile, another 13% similarly agree.
Source: Answers.sg
The other quarter of the respondents are either neutral or disagree with the statement posed.
Of this percentage, 3% disagree that they are happy with the move.
However, another 8% strongly disagree — indicating that they are unhappy that the old EZ-Link card has been retained.
For 24-year-old Isabella, the announcement comes as welcome news as she can now check her card balance.
“If I upgraded to SimplyGo I simply couldn’t see how much I’m spending,” said the marketing specialist.
Isabella added that she was “confused” when she first heard about the move towards SimplyGo.
“I don’t recall it [the original system] ever being contested because [it] was working just fine,” said Isabella.
Source: POSB
She had also refrained from upgrading her card to SimplyGo following the “backlash” in the previous weeks.
Meanwhile, one commuter who rushed to upgrade to SimplyGo is now faced with a different problem.
36-year-old Chantalle Ng said that when SimplyGo was first announced, she thought it was “very important” — so much so that she convinced her partner to change his card.
Now, they are stuck with SimplyGo cards that do not show their card balance.
Though the marketer is planning to change her card to an older EZ-Link, she is waiting till March to do so.
Chantalle says that she expects long queues of people rushing to do the same in February.
However, another Singaporean had a different opinion on the recent move to retain the old EZ-Link card.
Calling the SimplyGo U-turn “hasty”, a 35-year-old, who only wanted to be known as Steph L, said that the authorities might have been better off “reviewing the public sentiment and addressing them strategically”.
“Feedback is meant to help improve the system,” said the project manager.
Additionally, she believes that SimplyGo is the way to go as “the world is moving towards fintech”.
To her, this could have been a chance for the authorities to improve Singapore’s fintech infrastructure.
“I think they should be more accountable and acknowledge that they have missed these shortfalls and give us assurance that they are looking to improve the system and projected timelines,” she said.
The decision to retain the old EZ-Link system does come at a cost.
As communicated by Minister of Transport Chee Hong Tat, the LTA, and MOT will be spending an additional S$40 million on this move.
While some may be heaving a sigh of relief at the SimplyGo u-turn, others see issues in the way the saga has played out.
Pain points include how authorities handled the public feedback and a lack of transparency and accountability.
Also read: Commentary: Are We Simply Going To Ignore The S$40M?
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Featured image adapted from Public Transport Council for illustration purposes only.
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