Other new features include access to the EZ-Link digital wallet for retail functions and the EZ-Link Motoring Service. - ST
SINGAPORE: Travellers can top up and activate card-blocking functions for their older card-based ticketing ez-link cards on their mobile phones, with the newly revamped SimplyGo app launched on Friday (Sept 6).
Other new features include access to the EZ-Link digital wallet for contactless in-store and online payments and the EZ-Link Motoring service, which allows motorists to pay their Electronic Road Pricing and carpark charges through locally issued Mastercard or Visa cards.
This consolidation of all functions available on the EZ-Link and TransitLink SimplyGo apps into one single app comes five days after TransitLink and EZ-Link merged into a single entity on Sept 1.
To top up older ez-link cards on the upgraded SimplyGo app, users have to turn on the near-field communication (NFC) function on their mobile phone before tapping their physical ez-link card on their mobile device to complete the top-up process.
With the revamped app, users of older ez-link cards can also use its auto top-up feature. A top-up is automatically activated once the balance on the travel card drops to S$3 when the user exits any train gantry or bus.
Those who have misplaced or lost their older ez-link cards can use the card-blocking function on the new SimplyGo app, which will take up to 48 hours to take effect.
SimplyGo, a unified ticketing system by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), said in a statement on Sept 6 that the app revamp is part of its ongoing efforts to bring together all transit ticketing and travel card-related services into a one-stop touchpoint for travellers. These services were previously housed on two separate apps.
In response to The Straits’ Times queries, LTA said on Sept 6 that 71 per cent of adult fare transactions on public transport are made using SimplyGo.
Existing EZ-Link app users do not need to re-register their travel cards on the upgraded SimplyGo app. They can key in the mobile number they had registered on the EZ-Link app to automatically sync their accounts.
Users can also continue to access the existing EZ-Link app, but are encouraged to switch to the upgraded SimplyGo app to enjoy the full integrated list of services, said SimplyGo.
SimplyGo also noted that the new app will have improved security, as registration of accounts will be allowed only for local mobile numbers. This enables customer authentication and provides better service management, including better fraud management and more accurate refund services.
Tourists or foreigners can continue to use the app via “Guest Mode” to view their card balance.
Tan Kim Hong, chief executive officer of SimplyGo, said the enhanced app is the company’s first step to ensuring that SimplyGo becomes the “go-to platform” for public transport users as it allows them to access all these services conveniently and securely.
More features – including wayfinding to help passengers better find their way around MRT stations and bus interchanges – will be progressively launched. More details will be shared when they are ready.
LTA had announced on Jan 9 that all adult passengers must update their existing travel cards to SimplyGo before June 1, sparking an outcry. Passengers were frustrated with the inability to see fare data when tapping out of buses and MRT stations with SimplyGo.
Ez-link cards operate on a card-based system that stores transaction data on the cards and, therefore, fare information is displayed on fare readers. This is not possible with SimplyGo, which processes fare payments at the back end and transactions can be viewed only digitally, such as on its app.
LTA then shelved the move on Jan 22, allowing passengers to continue using ez-link and Nets FlashPay cards – which are compatible with the card-based system – until at least 2030.
Some travellers whom The Straits Times spoke to were unaffected by the SimplyGo app upgrade.
Derrick Chew, 31, has been using the EZ-Link app to keep track of his 68-year-old father’s transport expenses as his father previously did not know how to use the app to check his fare balance and file claims.
The university student said he will not be switching over to the upgraded SimplyGo app, as he and his father have become used to the interface of the EZ-Link app.
Chew added that he already has his bank card details saved on the EZ-Link app, which allows him to easily top up his father’s card, and does not want to go through the hassle of doing it again on the upgraded app. - The Straits Times/ANN
