Students able to convert concessions cards to SimplyGo from Sep 7

SINGAPORE: Students will have the option to convert their student concession cards to a SimplyGo school smart card from Saturday (Sep 7). 

This will apply to all students from Ministry of Education primary and secondary schools, as well as junior colleges and Millennia Institute, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday. 

"This comes after feedback from parents and students that they would like to have the option of converting their existing SSC to a SimplyGo SSC, to make it more convenient for parents to top up their children’s cards remotely via the SimplyGo app," said LTA.

The conversion is free and can be done at selected ticketing machines in all MRT stations and bus interchanges. 

However, those who wish to switch back to a non-SimplyGo concession card will need to return their SimplyGo school smart card and purchase a new non-SimplyGo concession card for S$8.10 (US$6). 

“With this, all commuters now have the option to convert their travel cards to SimplyGo,” said LTA. 

Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat had announced the move in May.

"I am happy to share that this will take effect from tomorrow, Sep 7," he said in a Facebook post on Friday.

"We are constantly looking for ways to improve our public transport system."

According to LTA, the SimplyGo school smart card can be registered and paired with the SimplyGo app. 

Students can top up their cards or buy monthly concession passes on the app. 

They can also instantly block lost cards and arrange for the remaining value to be refunded to a card or bank account.

“Students will continue to enjoy the same subsidised fare for public transport and can continue to use the card for purchases at Smart Buddy Terminals in schools and retail purchases,” said LTA. 

ENHANCED SIMPLYGO APP

SimplyGo also announced a new version of its app, which includes all the functions currently available on both the EZ-Link and the TransitLink SimplyGo app. 

This makes it easier and more convenient for commuters to access the full range of services currently on the two apps, said the company on Friday. 

Users who wish to transition from the EZ-Link app to the new app will not need to re-register their travel cards. 

This is because accounts registered using the same mobile number on both platforms will be synced. 

For security reasons, account registration will require a local mobile number for customer authentication. 

“This will help with better fraud management and more accurate refund services,” said SimplyGo. 

Users with accounts registered under a foreign mobile number can use the app via its “guest mode”. 

They will still be able to access card services, such as the travel and fare guide, their card balance and their card's expiry.

“While users of the EZ-Link app can continue to access the existing EZ-Link app, they are encouraged to get on board the enhanced SimplyGo integrated app to enjoy the full suite of transit services,” said SimplyGo. 

It added that the enhanced app’s consolidation of functions is the “first stage in ensuring commuters can access essential transit services conveniently and effectively from a single app”.

“Going forward, we will progressively launch more services or features to provide a better overall customer experience,” said the company. 

Mr Tan Kim Hong, CEO of SimplyGo, said the company envisioned SimplyGo becoming the “go-to platform for public transport commuters”. 

“The enhanced app is our first step towards achieving this vision, allowing commuters to access these services conveniently and securely,” he said. 

SimplyGo was launched in April 2019 to widen the range of payment options available to commuters as it allowed them to travel with contactless payment instead of a separate fare card. 

However, in January this year, a decision to completely migrate the payment system to SimplyGo sparked public outcry. 

LTA announced on Jan 9 non-SimplyGo Ez-Link adult cards and NETS FlashPay cards can no longer be used to pay for public transport fares from Jun 1.

Some commuters were unhappy about having to download the SimplyGo app, while others faced problems upgrading their EZ-Link cards. 

Many also complained that the SimplyGo system did not allow card balances to be shown at fare gates. 

About two weeks later, the agency U-turned on its decision to phase out the older ticketing system.

The government will spend an additional S$40 million so that commuters can continue to use EZ-Link cards and NETS FlashPay cards if they wish to, Mr Chee said on Jan 22.

Those who have upgraded to a SimplyGo EZ-Link card may exchange it for the previous EZ-Link card for free if they prefer to use the older ticketing system.