SINGAPORE – Commuters now have the option of topping up their ez-link cards remotely through a mobile application.
This dispenses with the need for using top-up machines, and will allow users to apply for automatic top-ups, and to cancel lost cards within 30 minutes.
Commuters will also be able to top up the cards of family members, and track their transport spending through the application.
The cards are managed by users through the ez-link application or the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) SimplyGo application.
In a statement on Thursday (Jan 28), LTA described the move as part of efforts with EZ-Link to make commuting more convenient.
In 2019, LTA set up an account-based ticketing system, which allows commuters to use bank cards and mobile wallets to pay for public transport as opposed to only having a card-based ticketing system – which relied on every commuter carrying a separate, purpose-made card.
A new or updated ez-link card will now also function on this account-based system. The mobile application can also be used to block further transactions in the event cards are misplaced.
In a separate statement on Thursday, EZ-Link chief executive Nicholas Lee said: “Together with our recent ez-link wallet launch and rebranding, the new account-based ez-link cards are part of our broader transformation roadmap to strengthen our digital ecosystem.”
The large-scale roll-out of the update to account-based cards follows a pilot for the system in September last year in which about 3,000 selected commuters were issued with the upgraded cards.
EZ-Link said that more than 80 per cent of the participants in the pilot indicated a positive experience.
The ease of topping up the cards for themselves and their families was picked as the favourite new feature.
Updating an existing ez-link card to an account-based card will be free, while buying a new account-based card will be $12, including $7 of stored value.
Currently, only adult ez-link cards are eligible for this update. A pilot for the application of this technology to concession cards, including those issued to students and seniors, will start later this year.
