Chee added that the card-based ticketing (CBT) system for adult commuters will be in place until at least 2030.
The LTA announced on January 9 that it planned to phase out the older ticketing system from June 1 in favour of SimplyGo, noting that around two-thirds of adult public transport fares were currently paid through SimplyGo EZ-Link cards or bank cards.
Concession cardholders did not need to make the change.
The older CBT system allows commuters to see their fare deductions and card balances at fare gates and bus card readers. They are currently not able to do so using SimplyGo cards.
I apologise for the delays commuters experienced when they tried to convert their existing EZ-Link cards. This could have been avoided with better preparation
Days after the announcement, the LTA said it was “technically possible” to show such information at station gates and bus readers, but it would slow down the entry and exit for commuters.
On Monday, the authority reversed its decision to phase out the older ticketing system.
“I apologise on behalf of MOT (the Ministry of Transport) and LTA for the delays commuters experienced when they tried to convert their existing EZ-Link cards. This could have been avoided with better preparation,” Chee said in a Facebook post on Monday.
In deciding not to sunset the CBT system for adult commuters, an estimated S$40 million (US$30 million) will be spent, so commuters can continue to use EZ-Link cards and NETS FlashPay cards.
On Friday, Chee said the S$40 million is needed to buy new hardware, as well as to maintain and operate the older ticketing system.
He said the existing CBT system for adults was reaching the end of its shelf life this year, and LTA had to decide if it would continue with the system.
“It is a cost that LTA wanted to try and avoid incurring by sunsetting the CBT system for adult commuters.
“However, we realised that this was not in line with what many commuters want. This was not in line with the feedback that many commuters were telling us. We decided we will not proceed with this decision (to sunset the CBT system),” Chee said.
He added that the S$40 million was “not going to be part of public transport fares”, and that the sum would be borne by the government.
This means there will be three systems: the account-based ticketing system SimplyGo, the CBT system for adults and the CBT system for concession card holders.
Chee said the government would look at whether it is possible to “progressively integrate” the two CBT systems over time.
Will Singapore’s transport payment card saga weigh on voters’ minds?
Will Singapore’s transport payment card saga weigh on voters’ minds?
The minister has also tasked LTA to improve the features of SimplyGo.
“This is something which we want to do, because I think it is important to provide this to our commuters who want to be able to see their fare deductions and card balances at the fare gates and bus card readers.
“At the moment, there is no technical solution for this, both here and overseas. The worry is that if you do this and there is a long delay, it will cause long queues and slow down the flow of commuters,” he said.
He added that the authorities would “decide later” whether to extend the CBT system beyond 2030.
A key factor would be whether a solution can be found to overcome the technical difficulties of displaying fare deductions and card balance information at station gates and bus card readers.
As Singapore debates car prices, is the COE system due for ‘significant reforms’?
As Singapore debates car prices, is the COE system due for ‘significant reforms’?
Some commuters questioned the consultation process after the LTA made the announcement earlier this month.
Chee said the agency conducted a series of consultations with different groups of commuters from 2020 to 2023. This included focus group discussions and a trial with more than 1,000 commuters.
The LTA decided not to shift concession cardholders to the SimplyGo system because some seniors said they were not familiar with the new system and preferred to check their fares at card readers.
The Transport Minister said: “If we had consulted more widely, and gathered views from a wider group of commuters before we made the decision and the announcement on January 9, we would have come across the stronger reactions and preferences that some commuters had expressed, which is, that they want to keep the current feature of being able to view the fare deductions and card balances at the fare gates and at bus card readers.
“I understand where commuters are coming from. We respect their preferences. We understand that because they are familiar with this feature, they are used to it, and they find it useful.”
In response to a question on what would be a good number of respondents for such a survey, Chee said it “would have been useful” for the authorities to consult more widely and hear a wider range of views and concerns before making a decision.
“This is on hindsight. We learn from it, and we hope we are able to do better in future,” he added.