Update on Jan. 22, 2024: Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat announced that the transition to SimplyGo has been halted indefinitely while the Land Transport Authority (LTA) studies ways to "enhance the features and improve the user experience" for card users of the new system.  Meanwhile. the LTA will extend the use of the Card-Based Ticketing (CBT) system at the cost of S$40 million.

If you're a public transport commuter, here's what you need to know.

This article has been updated accordingly with information that were released with Chee's announcement.

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The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is facing an issue with the transition from a legacy card-based ticketing system to the newer SimplyGo.

Namely, some commuters are finding the transition to be SimplyNo.

After all, why phase out a system that everyone has been accustomed to and, more importantly, has been working well?

How did we get here?

Ever since SimplyGo was launched in 2019, the LTA has been running two separate ticketing systems side by side.

The first is the legacy Card-Based Ticketing (CBT) system which stores all information on the commuters' cards. Older adult EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards run on this system and fare transactions are processed at the fare gates or bus card readers.

The second system is, of course, SimplyGo.

Unlike the Card-Based Ticketing system, SimplyGo stores all account information and processes fare transactions in a backend system.

This system allows commuters to pay their fare using e-payment modes such bank cards and mobile wallets. It also enables the use of contactless technology like our mobile phones and smart watches.

One of the biggest draws is that commuters no longer need to carry around a stored-value card which needs to be topped-up regularly.

1 public transport network, 2 systems

Since 2019, the two systems have been working side by side. The take up rate for SimplyGo has also been positive. As of December 2023, two in three adult commuters had adopted the newer system, according to the LTA.

So if having two different systems has been serving us well, why is LTA making commuters move over to SimplyGo? Why can't some commuters continue using their legacy EZ-Link and NETS Flashpay cards while others use their contactless bank cards and smart watches?

The answer: Money and resources.

The statutory board did not provide exact figures except to say that running two systems is "very costly".

But in his announcement on Jan. 22, Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat provided a figure: S$40 million.

That is the amount required to replace the Card-Based Ticketing system when it reaches the end of its operational life span this year, and to maintain and operate it thereafter.

Instead of renewing the older system, the LTA decided to move everyone over to SimplyGo.

Hence, on Jan. 9, the statutory board announced that legacy fare cards such as the adult EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards will no longer work for fare payments from Jun. 1.

Commuters who wish to continue using these older EZ-Link cards on public transport from June onwards need to have them converted (for free) to SimplyGo EZ-Link cards at ticketing machines. NETS FlashPay card users can have their card exchanged (also for free) for a NETS Prepaid Card which is compatible with the SimplyGo system.

A mini flashpoint

But along with the announcement emerged a mini flashpoint which sent EZ-Link card users howling into the forums and comment sections: Under the SimplyGo system, EZ-Link card users cannot see the balance in their card each time they tap on a bus reader or a fare gate.

Instead, all they see is the SimplyGo logo.

Displaying the fare and card balance is "technically possible", according to the LTA, but it would result in slower entries and exits.

Because the fare transaction is processed in the backend, the fare gate or bus reader needs "a few seconds" to communicate with the backend system and obtain the necessary bits of information like the fare deduction and card balance, said LTA.

"Given the large numbers of commuters who are taking MRT and buses, this will lead to longer queues which is not desirable," said the statutory board.

This inabilty to draw key bits of information from the backend and display them at the point of contact fast enough has no technical solution.

In his Jan. 22 announcement, Chee gave the examples of Account-Based Ticketing cards in London and Hong Kong.

They "also do not display fare deductions and card balances at fare gates, unlike their Card-Based Ticketing cards", he said.

Nonetheless, LTA's decision has led some to question why the agency could so easily do away with a feature that many EZ-Link card users depend on.

Is SimplyGo an upgrade for EZ-Link card users?

Amid all this, it's worth asking if switching to SimplyGo is an upgrade for EZ-Link card users.

LTA touted several benefits that the SimplyGo EZ-Link card brings when used in tandem with the SimplyGo app.

In a nutshell, it gives them more autonomy and convenience with regard to the monetary value in their account.

When the monetary value in the SimplyGo account is low, users will receive a notification reminding them to top up. Users can top up their card and their family members' cards remotely using the app.

Each time a public transport trip is completed, the app pushes a notification that contains details such as fare paid and account balance.

If their EZ-Link card is misplaced, users can block further transactions and cancel their card using the app. Most crucially, the monetary value in their SimplyGo account can be retained in the backend.

Truth be told, these are upgrades when compared to the legacy Card-Based Ticketing system. Under the older system, many of these functions had to be done in person at a ticketing office or machine.

And in today's world when we're already using a gazillion apps for everything else, embracing the SimplyGo system should feel like an intuitive fit into our app-based way of life.

So why does it feel like a downgrade for EZ-Link card users instead?

Why does it feel like a downgrade?

If you are an EZ-Link card user, these are the most obvious changes you'll experience when you switch to SimplyGo:

1. You will no longer be able to see your account balance and fare charged when you tap out.
2. You will no longer be able to use one EZ-Link card for public transport, retail, and motoring (car park and ERP payments).

Having the fare and account balance displayed is a feature that many EZ-Link card users have come to expect as a basic requirement, partly honed from years of habit and partly intuitive design. Some even called it a "dealbreaker".

It allows them to know at the point of exit if their card needs to be topped up. If they need to do so, the ticketing machine is just a few steps away.

Older commuters I spoke to also lamented that being able to see one's account balance and fare when tapping out is so "intuitive" that it seems "wrong" to do without it.

One 64-year-old commuter had a more practical reason for wanting her fare displayed: "I want to make sure they didn't deduct my money wrongly!"

Removing this feature feels like a step back.

But that's not all.

With the switch to SimplyGo, there isn't a card that can be used across the board for multiple types of payments.

Take a look at this infographic by The Straits Times. 

Right now, the non-upgraded EZ-Link card and the NETS FlashPay card are the most multi-functional of the lot.

Aside from public transport, these cards can be used at a number of retail outlets (like convenience stores), and pay for ERP and car park fees too.

Now, those who switched to SimplyGo-compatible cards will find that, unlike before, they will need another card for their motoring fees.

Intuitively, an upgrade should unify systems or make processes more convenient. But here, EZ-Link card users find that the system, one that has been working well by the way, is being "dis-unified".

Someone subsequently posted a parody of the infographic, featuring payment cards from other cities that, sadly, are more multi-functional than SimplyGo.

Maybe we are getting there. Maybe there are people who are working hard at making the SimplyGo EZ-Link card a universal payment system that can take you from car park to convenience store.

But right now, switching over feels like a downgrade for some commuters.

So what now?

The hard deadline set by the LTA is Jun. 1, 2024, which gives EZ-Link card users plenty of time to adjust to the SimplyGo system.

The change is not insurmountable, though I believe it will be done with a lot of grumbling.

The 64-year-old commuter from earlier chose to convert her concession card even though she didn't have to.

She also downloaded the SimplyGo app and has been fiddling with it just to "see what the fuss is about".

Admittedly, she is still getting used to SimplyGo.

But she said, rather candidly, that if a senior citizen like her can adjust to it, anyone can (if possible, she still wants her fare and balance displayed though).

On LTA's front, there is no word on whether adjustments will be made to the SimplyGo system to accommodate this feature.

Guess we will just have to wait and see.

Top images: Joshua Lee, EZ-Link