Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat recently apologised to commuters for the “judgment error” made by the authorities in deciding to phase out older public transport payment cards for adults and switch entirely to a system where cards would not show fare information when one tapped out.

He promised that the authorities would learn from this episode and do better in future, and announced that adult ez-link cards which are not on the SimplyGo account-based system and Nets FlashPay cards can continue to be used for public transport fare payments until at least 2030. The Government will foot the estimated bill of $40 million needed for new equipment and hardware, as well as maintenance and operating costs, to keep the card-based ticketing system going for six more years. Thus, the bill will not have an impact on bus and train fares.