Calvin Cheng’s comment on Minister Chee Hong Tat’s post sparks netizens’ criticism

SINGAPORE: Calvin Cheng, a Singaporean businessman and former Nominated Member of Parliament, faced criticism from netizens for his recent comment on the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) decision to reinstate the old system for public transport payment card options, as announced by Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat in a Facebook post on 22 January.

In Minister Chee Hong Tat’s post, he revealed an additional investment of S$40 million (approximately US$29.8 million) to allow the continued use of EZ-Link cards and Nets FlashPay cards.

According to LTA, the S$40 million is to be spent on hardware replacement and system maintenance.

Cheng argued in his comment that the decision to retain the old system was made to appease those who still prefer it.

Cheng further stated that if the LTA were to proceed with its initial plan of eliminating the old system, it could save S$40 million.

He suggested that those who advocate for the old system should bear the cost associated with its continuation.

This commentary from Cheng sparked controversy, with netizens criticizing his viewpoint.

Netizens criticize Cheng’s comment on Minister Chee Hong Tat’s Facebook post

In response to Cheng’s comments, netizens shared their perspectives.

One user emphasized the importance of transparency regarding the S$40 million expenditure on maintaining an existing system, questioning the need for such spending when the current system is functioning well.

The user advised Cheng not to shift the responsibility to the general public and suggested that MOT/LTA should focus on creating benefits for those who heavily depend on public transport for commuting.

Expressing concern about the apparent gap between MOT/LTA and users, the same user pointed out that the reversal on SimplyGo highlighted communication issues.

Cheng defended his stance by highlighting the widespread use of SimplyGo since 2019, especially among those utilizing Apply Pay, Google Pay, and contactless cards.

He argued that the old system lacks support for these payment methods.

Another user countered Cheng’s argument, noting that only around 41% prefer such digital payment options, while others still rely on physical fare cards.

They cautioned against selfish perspectives and emphasized the need to consider the comfort levels of all commuters.

Addressing the timing of the transition, another user expressed the view that while decommissioning the older system might make sense in the long term, the abrupt announcement and the expectation of a transition within six months were unreasonable.

They argued for a more extended transition plan to allow commuters, especially the 36% affected, sufficient time to comprehend the changes and upgrade their cards.

A different user emphasized the importance of policymakers carefully thinking through systemic decisions.

They pointed out that despite incentives and promotions since 2019 to switch, 1.5 million transactions still occur on the older card-based ticketing (CBT) system, invalidating the assumption that everyone has embraced the new system.

Some on Chee’s Facebook post also question whether the “upgrade” can be considered an upgrade.

One wrote, “First of all concession card holders will continue to use current system and can see their balances.This means the current system still needs to run to cater to them. Secondly the simplygo cards can only use for transport not even for erp or parking. How is this an ugrade if you need another card as opposed to the current system? Best solution is to keep both since simplygo allows for credit card usage and concession card users are still on cepas. This is simply common sense”.

Another wrote, “The current way is doing perfectly fine. Please don’t change anything just for the sake of change and call it an upgrade which it’s just an absolute downgrade.”

On the need to pay to cater for the EZ-link cards, as mentioned by Cheng, one user noted that other countries like the UK, Hong Kong (China), and Australia still use both systems in parallel. “I think we are the first that wants to remove the old system. Worse is cannot use the same card for car and public transport.” wrote the user.

In summary, most netizens in the discussion underscored the need for transparency, thoughtful planning, and consideration for all commuters in the decision-making process regarding public transport payment systems.

U-turn on SimplyGo transition; Transport Minister issues apology

Following public backlash, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat has scrapped the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) original plan to shift to SimplyGo and replace older public transport payment cards.

Commuters expressed discontent with the proposed changes, prompting an apology from Minister Chee on 22 January for delays in converting existing EZ-Link cards, admitting better preparation could have prevented the issue.

To address concerns, LTA has updated the SimplyGo app and expedited the card conversion process.

Older EZ-Link and Nets FlashPay cards will remain valid, and their users won’t need to update them by 1 June.

An additional S$40 million investment was announced by Minister Chee to support continued use of these cards.

According to LTA, this investment is to be spent on hardware and maintenance of the system.

The current card-based ticketing system (CBT) storing transaction data on the cards will be extended for adult commuters, avoiding the planned sunset in 2024.

Details about the card exchange process will be disclosed by the end of February, minimizing inconvenience for passengers.

Concession card holders, including students and seniors, can revert to non-SimplyGo cards through the exchange.

Minister Chee has directed LTA to explore enhancements for account-based ticketing (ABT) cards, seeking solutions for displaying fare deductions and card balances at fare gates and bus card readers for newer cards.

While defending the advantages of ABT cards, Minister Chee emphasized their protection against loss, as the balance is stored in the user’s account.

He noted that around 40% of adult commuters now use bank cards or mobile wallets for public transport fares, highlighting the convenience and popularity of ABT cards.

Acknowledging the display delay for fare and card balance data on ABT cards, he drew parallels with systems in London and Hong Kong, where similar account-based transit cards do not show this information at fare gates.