MASS RAPID TRANSIT FARE CARD

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong asked the Minister for Transport (a) if his Ministry has thought of using other more convenient fare systems when replacing the single-trip Mass Rapid Transit fare card with the standard fare card where a deposit is required and refunded at the end of each trip, which has highly inconvenienced commuters; and (b) what happens to the deposits that remain unclaimed after a while.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: There are two main types of transit fare cards: magnetic cards and ez-link contactless smartcards. LTA has opted for the ez-link system as contactless smartcards, unlike the existing magnetic cards, have the capacity to accommodate the fare information of an expanding Rapid Transit System. Hence, they can allow commuters to continue enjoying through-ticketing for a seamless journey even as they transfer from line to line.

North-East Line and all future lines will operate solely on the ez-link system. They will not be able to accept magnetic cards, hence the need to replace magnetic cards, including the single-trip magnetic fare cards. The latter will be replaced by the new Standard Tickets (STs) that ride on the ez-link system.

Currently, 7% or about 75,000 train passengers use single-trip magnetic cards. While it is technically feasible to retain a separate ticketing system for such single-trip use, it means a higher cost of operation, which will have to be borne by the rest of the commuters. This does not seem fair.

A contactless smartcard is more expensive to produce but it can be re-used. The new Standard Ticket costs about $5 to make. To encourage commuters to return them for re-use, a $1 refundable deposit is imposed on each card. While this has imposed some inconvenience, it is not that cumbersome once commuters become familiar with the refund procedure.

In any case, our advice is for commuters to use the stored-value ez-link cards instead of the single-trip Standard Tickets. They can then enjoy lower fares and transfer rebates, and avoid the need to reclaim the deposit.

Nevertheless, we have also asked the operators to consider allowing the Standard Tickets to be used for multiple trips on the rapid transit system (RTS) so as to reduce the inconvenience to the small group of commuters who want to continue using the Standard Tickets.

As for each ST card that is not returned, SMRT loses about $4. The deposits which are not claimed will help to cover these losses. Table 1 - Priority of claim