Singapore’s rare U-turn on transport payment: will SimplyGo ‘policy blind spot’ become an election issue?

Back-pedalling by authorities on ceasing EZ-Link occurred over issues such as the new system’s lack of fare display and potential confusion among the elderly

But the public uproar is likely to have ‘shelf life’, analysts say, and is unlikely to be ‘deciding factor for how people will vote’

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Passengers stand in an underground MRT train station in Singapore. The backpedalling by authorities on ceasing EZ-Link stemmed from fury over a range of issues – from SimplyGo’s lack of fare display to being forced to download a new app. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 3:57pm, 23 Jan 2024Updated: 4:26pm, 23 Jan 2024

A rare U-turn by the Singapore government to indefinitely postpone the phase-out of a transport ticketing system amid public backlash shows the administration is receptive to feedback, but political opponents and critics could seize on the blunder as a “policy blind spot” in the coming elections, analysts say.

The back-pedalling by authorities on ceasing EZ-Link, a stored-value, card-based system familiar to many Singaporeans, in place of SimplyGo, an account-linked payment format, stemmed from fury over a range of issues – from SimplyGo’s lack of fare display to being forced to download a new app.

“What this incident has shown us is that the system is still robust and can still be evaluated and improved upon [after public feedback],” said Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst with Solaris Strategies Singapore.

Singapore's authorities had first announced two weeks ago they would be halting the card-based EZ-Link system from June, sparking concern over the move confusing elderly users.

An online user wrote on social media: “[This] means additional steps just to see the value even though the current system works fine. Elderly and people who are not so tech-savvy may find it difficult to navigate a new app to find the value through it.”

“My grandparents do not have smartphones. They are barely literate. Many older people are. They used to be able to see the number or the flashing lights when the amount was lower. Now it’s next to impossible,” another said.

The SimplyGo system was first launched in 2019, allowing commuters to tap contactless credit and debit cards to pay for bus and train fares. Currently, commuters in Singapore have the option of using bus and train payment cards as well as contactless credit and debit cards.