Shelving of SimplyGo plan: Observers say LTA was unprepared, LTA says trial was positive

SINGAPORE — The shelving of plans to phase out older adult public transport payment cards was met with relief by public transport users, who said they were glad their concerns were heard.

But some felt the aborted exercise was ultimately redundant, and expressed frustration at the inconvenience they had to bear to update their ez-link cards.

Observers said the shelving of plans to move towards SimplyGo, an account-based ticketing platform, on Jan 22 exposed issues with the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) communication strategy and lack of preparedness.

Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said the authorities will spend an extra $40 million to allow commuters to continue using older ez-link and Nets FlashPay cards, which operate on an old card-based ticketing system.

He said LTA will allow those who updated their ez-link cards to SimplyGo between Jan 9 and 22 to exchange them for those that rely on the card-based system for free. This would allow them to view fare information and their card's balance when they tap out from a bus or MRT stop — something SimplyGo cannot yet do.

Valerie Lim, 25, will be among those making the switch back to a non-SimplyGo card.

The engineering undergraduate updated her ez-link card to be compatible with SimplyGo on Jan 21.

Lim said she prefers to be able to see her card balance at fare gates and bus card readers, so she knows how much she spends.

"The Government should have thought about the public's opinion before coming up with this type of policy, as they have to understand that some of us prefer to use normal ez-link cards or might not have access to technology," she added.

Claudine Ho, 51, a medical industry administrator, said it took her husband three tries at three locations before he could update his senior concession card so it could work with SimplyGo.

She added: "If LTA wants to roll out a new system, make sure people on the ground can manage."

Insurance manager Madeline Tan, 51, uses a SimplyGo card, but said she does not support LTA's transition plan as she was concerned some people would not know how to use the SimplyGo app to check their card balance.

Daniel Cheng, 30, a food-and-beverage employee, said he switched to SimplyGo and has no plans to go back.

He added: "All I need to do is to check the app for the balance in my card; it is not a big deal to me. I can see why people were upset over the Government making the change compulsory. I am glad they changed it back."

In response to queries, LTA said it carried out market testing and focus-group discussions with adult commuters and concession card holders before finalising its SimplyGo transition plan.

It said it decided to make all adult commuters switch to SimplyGo only after it found that two in three adult fare transactions were made using the platform.

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In 2021, LTA issued account-based transit cards to more than 1,000 concession card holders as part of a trial.

The general feedback was supportive, and LTA said these concession card holders, including persons with disabilities, tertiary students and full-time national servicemen, did not mind that they could not immediately view fare deductions or their card balance.

Parents of students also found the account-based system useful, as it allowed them to top up their children's cards remotely.

From its engagements, the group with the most concerns was seniors. Hence, LTA said it decided from the get-go that the card-based ticketing system would be extended for all concession card holders so they would not be affected by the broader switch to SimplyGo.

Associate Professor Walter Theseira, head of the urban transportation programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, said the backlash against SimplyGo was the result of a policy blind spot.

While SimplyGo may be a better system for many, the mistake was to assume that all commuters would like the account-based system, he added.

LTA also did not explain thoroughly why it needed to phase out the card-based ticketing system, he said.

On the extra $40 million that will be spent so commuters may continue using older cards, Prof Theseira said it was an avoidable expense but one worth paying to ensure they do not feel excluded from the public transport system.

He said the authorities must ask themselves if they could have engaged the public better, and if there were more innovative ways to improve payments so people view account-based systems as a genuine upgrade.

Dr Carol Soon, principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, whose research interests include digital and public engagement, highlighted several problems with the SimplyGo roll-out.

For one thing, the lack of interoperability between SimplyGo cards and other payment systems, such as those for motoring expenses, spawned expectations of inconvenience.

There also appeared to have been a lack of user-centricity at the product-design stage, and a failure to anticipate how different public segments would react to the roll-out.

"This is not the pandemic when decisions have to be made and implemented with little time. Adequate time would or should have been put aside," she said.

Transport analyst Terence Fan from the Singapore Management University said it is evident that the logistics of the transition were not thought through.

Assistant Professor Fan also noted that this was the second time in recent months that LTA had changed course in response to a public outcry.

The first episode was in November 2023, when it reversed its decision to withdraw bus service 167.

"Singapore's public transport system as it stands is still world-class, but I think people are going to question the wisdom of LTA's management going forward," Prof Fan added.

Looking ahead, he said LTA would eventually have to move to a single ticketing system, but the authority should make tweaks to make the system more palatable.

"If they don't show the card balance after every trip, can they at least show when your balance is low?" he asked.

MP Saktiandi Supaat, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, previously called for a longer transition and for LTA to review the SimplyGo system so card balances can be displayed.

He told The Straits Times the crux of the matter is the availability of options, noting that there will always be commuters who are not tech-savvy, and it is not easy for them to transition to something new.

Other MPs, including Yip Hon Weng, Christopher de Souza and Lim Biow Chuan, said they have filed parliamentary questions on SimplyGo.

In a Facebook post, Lim said LTA should maintain the card-based ticketing system until it is able to persuade commuters on the benefits of switching to SimplyGo.

"I wasn't happy at the earlier announcement by LTA," Lim wrote. "But I am very glad that the Government is receptive to feedback and has acted promptly."

ALSO READ: Commuters need not switch to SimplyGo by June 1 as LTA shelves plan

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.