The recent outcry over changes to payment methods for public transport, involving the EZ-Link and SimplyGo platforms, holds a lesson that the needs of the actual end user- the customer must be the starting point.
From June 1, adult fares on public buses and trains can no longer be paid using ez-link cards that are not compatible with the SimplyGo platform. Nets FlashPay cards will also not be accepted. These changes were announced on Jan 9 by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and have since been met with complaints and concerns.
The EZ-link card has been around for a long time as a familiar, seamless card in one's purse or pocket, so for some people, getting on board with changes around it seems an unnecessary complication.
But it wasn't just that. It was the loss of some useful functions in what was touted as an "upgrade".
FARE QUESTIONS
Sticking points that have come up in public complaints to The Straits Times Forum page and elsewhere include the fact that commuters are not able to see fare information when they are swiping their upgraded cards at MRT fare gates and card readers on buses.
Another source of concern is that commuters also cannot see their card balances on the spot, unlike with the old ez-link system. They now must download an app or go to a machine to check their balances.
A simple explanation for all this - under SimplyGo's platform, fares are processed at the back end, unlike in the legacy card-based ticketing system using older ez-link cards and Nets FlashPay cards, where transactions are handled at MRT fare gates and card readers on buses.
LTA has explained that when a user taps the SimplyGo ez-link card, it is possible to display the card balance and deduction TIMES Wong Wei Kong information from the back-end system. But it would take a few seconds and slow down passenger movement.
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