Everything About What Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat Said About SimplyGo Implementation & U-Turn

Have a complaint about the SimplyGo system?

Well, you’ll be happy to know that LTA will be “U-turn”-ing its decision to fully implement the SimplyGo system.

SimplyGo Implementation Was A “Judgment Error”; Older Ticketing System Here to Stay At Least Until 2030

Singaporeans are no strangers to the implementation of the SimplyGo system. If you’ve yet to hear of SimplyGo, we only have one thing to say: open your eyes lah. The SimplyGo promotional posters are plastered everywhere in MRT stations.

SimplyGo has been around since 2019 and was recently placed in the spotlight when the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced plans to phase out the Ez-Link system to make way for full adoption of the SimplyGo system by 1 June 2024.

However, it seems like that will no longer be the case. On Monday (22 January), LTA suddenly made a U-turn on its initial decision to adopt the SimplyGo system fully.

Wah, macam like your girlfriend sia. One moment, say this; next moment, say that.

On Friday (26 January), Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat remarked that the push for fully implementing the SimplyGo system was a “judgment error”. Acknowledging Singaporeans’ sentiments on the full adoption of SimplyGo, Mr Chee shared that the older ticketing system will continue to be in place until 2030, at the very least.

“This was a judgment error on our part, and I apologise to our commuters for what happened. We will learn from this and we will do better in future,” Mr Chee said.

The Problem with SimplyGo: Commuters Cannot View Fare Deductions and Card Balances at MRT Gantries and Bus Card Readers

Unless you were living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Singaporeans’ No. 1 complaint about SimplyGo. Unlike the older ticketing system many are accustomed to, SimplyGo users cannot view fare deductions and card value when they tap in or out at MRT gantries and on buses.

Exactly how much did you spend on your transport today? Too bad, you won’t know until you check your bank balance or the SimplyGo app.

It’s not that difficult lah. Just open your SimplyGo app only what. Can scroll TikTok for hours but cannot take 1 minute to check your SimplyGo app? And c’mon — there is a whole user guide online for how to use the SimplyGo app. 

LTA noted that while it was “technically possible” for the fare deductions and card balances at MRT gantries and bus card readers to be shown even for SimplyGo users, doing so would slow down entry and exit for commuters.

I mean, we’ve all been there — stuck behind snaking queues of commuters at the MRT gantries because you have aunties and uncles standing at the gantries to take a good look at their fare deductions. Looking for a huat 4D number in their fare deduction or card balance, I suppose.

Transport Minister Acknowledges that Wider Consultation Should Have Been Undertaken Before Announcing Full Implementation of SimplyGo

Before LTA’s earlier announcement to fully adopt the SimplyGo system, it conducted a series of consultations on the topic from 2020 to 2023.

Thanks to these consultations, concession cardholders did not have to be shifted to the SimplyGo system. Some seniors had already given feedback on the lack of fare deduction and card value information at MRT gantries and bus card readers.

But if it makes you feel any better, Mr Chee has also acknowledged that more comprehensive consultation should have been undertaken before LTA’s announcement to adopt SimplyGo fully.

“If we had consulted more widely, and gathered views from a wider group of commuters before we made the decision and the announcement on Jan 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,” Mr Chee shared.

I don’t know about you, but it sounds like someone’s taichi-ing the problem back to a particular minister (or should we say, ex-minister) currently being charged with corruption.

$40 Million Required for Old Ticketing System to be Kept in Operation

Thanks to all the complaints on SimplyGo (and thereby, LTA’s decision to keep the old ticketing system), an estimated $40 million will have to be spent on purchasing new hardware, alongside the maintenance and operation of the old ticketing system.

Ah… $40 million spent just because Ah Tan doesn’t want to install the SimplyGo app to check his card value and fare deductions… 

The saving grace is that the government will bear the $40 million to be spent on the old ticketing system.

So before you whip out your pitchforks, relax lah. The $40 million is “not going to be part of public transport fares,” according to Mr Chee.

Old vs New: Where to From Here?

Now that the plug has been pulled on the full adoption of SimplyGo, where do we go from here?

First, the government will look into progressively integrating the older ticketing system over time. At the same time, LTA will also look into improvements that can be made to the SimplyGo system.

Whether the old ticketing system will be in place beyond 2030 is a bridge that will be crossed when we come to it. Or, in Mr Chee’s words, the authorities will “decide later” — the decision will mainly depend on whether Singaporeans’ issue with the inability to view card value and fare deductions at MRT gantries and bus card readers on the SimplyGo system can be addressed.

So… Do I Still Need to Convert My Card to SimplyGo?

Now, for the million-dollar question — if you’re not currently using SimplyGo, must you still convert to SimplyGo?

The straight answer is no since the older ticketing system will continue to be in place until 2030, alongside the SimplyGo system. This means that for now, there are three systems in place that you can use to pay for public transport:

1. SimplyGo (e.g. bank cards, mobile wallets)
2. Card-based ticketing for adults (e.g. EZ-Link cards)
3. Card-based ticketing for concession card holders (which, by the way, aren’t affected by SimplyGo)

But, of course, you’ll likely have to switch to the SimplyGo system in due course. Two-thirds of adult public transport fares are already being paid through the SimplyGo EZ-Link cards or bank cards — the remaining one-third will have to move over to SimplyGo sooner or later.

So why not start getting accustomed to the SimplyGo system now?