CHARGES FOR GIRO TOP-UP OF EZ-LINK CARDS

CHARGES FOR GIRO TOP-UP OF EZ-LINK CARDS

36.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Transport what is the reason for EZ-Link to impose charges for GIRO top up of EZ-Link cards despite the Government's push for a cashless society.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: A cashless society is not a costless one. While the Government can help to facilitate the transition to a cashless society, the decision to waive or charge a fee for cashless alternatives is a commercial one best left to individual commercial operators such as credit cards companies, or in this case, the CEPAS card issuers to determine. As CEPAS allows multiple card issuers to enter the market, they will have to decide how best to balance between the competitiveness of their value proposition to their customers and their own commercial viability. In the case of EZ-Link, they have made the business decision that for the automatic GIRO top-up facility which they offer as a value-added service, a charge would be levied to cover the operating costs.

Nonetheless, for commuters who do not wish to pay for the charges, the Public Transport Council (PTC) has ensured that "free" top-up channels will continue to be available within the transit environment.