Use of Mastercard contactless cards to pay for transport available from April, Visa later this year

Commuters can use their Mastercard contactless bank cards or compatible mobile devices to pay for bus and train rides from April, with Visa expected to be supported “later this year”, following a two-year pilot.

The service, previously referred to as the Account-Based Ticketing system, will now be re-branded as SimplyGo following “a successful pilot” that ran since March 2017, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary during his Committee of Supply (COS) speech in Parliament on Thursday (7 March).

“With SimplyGo, commuters will have the option of carrying one less card for transport and not having to do card top-ups,” Dr Janil added.

Commuters without contactless bank cards can also enjoy benefits of SimplyGo towards the end of the year by upgrading their existing stored value cards, such as concession, EZ-Link or NETS FlashPay cards, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a separate press release issued on the same day.

The authority will release a list of operating systems and mobile devices which have been tested to be compatible with SimplyGo closer to the launch.

All Mastercard contactless card users do not need to pre-register their cards to use SimplyGo and pilot participants can continue to use the same Mastercard under the service, it added.

Commuters using SimplyGo can register for an account and link different contactless bank cards on the TransitLink SimplyGo Portal, which is available online and via the TL SimplyGo mobile app.

The account will allow commuters to track and view their travel expenditure and history. Registered users of contactless bank cards can also opt to receive push notifications for fares after each trip is completed using the TL SimplyGo mobile app.

Commuters who use the service with contactless bank cards issued locally will be charged the same fares as those who currently use travel cards, with charges to be reflected in their card bill statements, said the LTA.

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