SINGAPORE - Refunds were given for two out of every 100,000 public transport trips paid on the SimplyGo platform, said Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat.

Passengers were overcharged an average of $2.70 because they had used different devices or cards at the entry and exit points of the bus or MRT, Mr Chee said on March 1 in response to questions by Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC).

Mr Giam had asked how many applications for refunds were made, and whether fare gates can prevent commuters from exiting if they use a different device or card from the one they used when entering.

“It is not possible to identify and reconcile such transactions automatically, since a single card can be used by different commuters. For example, the same bank card can be set up on multiple devices for use by different family members,” Mr Chee said.

Mr Chee also said it was not “operationally feasible” to stop commuters from exiting if a different device or card was used because that would require a check with the backend system. This would slow down the flow of commuters and lead to long queues during peak hours, he added.

On educating commuters to use the same device or card when taking public transport, Mr Chee said such efforts began in March 2017 during the pilot with Mastercard for fare payment.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) continues to do so via posters at buses and MRT fare gates, outdoor banners, announcements at MRT stations, radio advertisements and messages on LTA’s and SimplyGo’s websites and social media channels, he added.

Mr Giam asked if refunds could be given automatically instead of having the passenger apply for it. He also asked whether educational posters on fare card usage could be published in other languages, noting that the ones he has seen were mostly in English.

In response, Mr Chee said it is important to look at how to make the refunding process easier. “I will certainly take on board the suggestion as we look at how to enhance SimplyGo, the overall system design and user experience, which is what we want to do for the project as a whole”.

He also told the House that the calculation of charges differs between bus and MRT rides.

For MRT rides, if there is a missing entry or exit for a journey registered because different cards or devices were used at the start and end of the trip, the system will record two separate transactions and charge each card $2.30.

For bus rides, if there is a missing entry, the charge will be based on the first bus stop of the service to the exit stop when the passenger taps out. In the case of a missing exit, the system will charge until the end of the bus route.

“The best way to protect commuters against such occurrences is to raise awareness and help them to avoid this in the first place by using the same device or the same card,” Mr Chee said.

The SimplyGo platform allows payment on public transport to be made with contactless bank cards, mobile wallets as well as dedicated transit cards.

Passengers using SimplyGo do not see the value charged when they tap out at fare gates or bus card readers, unlike when paying with the older ez-link or Nets FlashPay cards.

Instead, they get notified on the SimplyGo smartphone app. Passengers can also check their transactions at card readers located at MRT stations and bus interchanges.

The inability to instantly see the fare information and card balances at the fare gates and bus card readers caused unhappiness for some passengers when LTA announced its plan in January to move all passengers who pay adult transit fares to be exclusively on the SimplyGo platform.

This was because the ageing hardware handling the older modes of payment was due to be retired.

The transition plan was shelved barely two weeks after the announcement, following an outcry from some commuters. LTA will spend an estimated $40 million to extend the lifespan of the older card-based ticketing system till at least 2030.

On Feb 28, LTA announced details on how those who have switched to SimplyGo-compatible transit cards can receive a new ez-link card that is compatible with the card-based system.

Those who are eligible for the new cards will be scheduled to collect them from March 18 till June 30.

They can do so at all 44 ticket offices islandwide. New cards will be mailed to concession card holders who are seniors, people with disabilities and lower-wage workers, as well as adult monthly travel card holders.