Free NETS FlashPay card exchange at SimplyGo ticket offices 'temporarily unavailable' until further notice

SINGAPORE: A free exchange service for those looking to swap their NETS FlashPay cards for the NETS Prepaid Card is "temporarily unavailable" until further notice. 

The planned exchange at SimplyGo ticket offices was initially scheduled to begin on Friday (Jan 19) and run until Jul 18. 

It is part of an effort by authorities to phase out the NETS FlashPay card and some adult EZ-Link cards for use on buses and trains - a move that has upset some commuters.

NETS announced on Facebook last week that it would offer a one-for-one exchange programme, allowing commuters to trade their FlashPay card for a NETS Prepaid Card.

It said in an update on Friday morning that the service was now "temporarily unavailable until further notice" and apologised for any inconvenience caused.

CNA has contacted NETS and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for comment.

Separately, the SimplyGo upgrade feature was also "temporarily unavailable" at some ticketing machines.

"Please note that the upgrade feature on this ticketing machine is temporarily unavailable as we are carrying out enhancements," read the notices CNA saw on Saturday at Macpherson, Great World, Yew Tee and Maxwell MRT stations.

However, no such notices were seen at Harbourfront MRT station.

When asked about the notices, a staff member at Maxwell MRT station said it was due to upgrading issues. Commuters looking to upgrade their cards could still do so at the SimplyGo ticketing office, he added.

From Jun 1, adult EZ-Link cards and NETS FlashPay cards can no longer be used on buses and trains.

Commuters who are using these payment methods will have to upgrade their cards to SimplyGo EZ-Link cards or exchange them for NETS Prepaid Cards.

NETS FlashPay cardholders can continue using those cards for parking and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) payments, as well as in-store purchases at NETS acceptance points. NETS Prepaid cards cannot be used for motoring purposes.

In its announcement on Jan 9, LTA said that about two in three adult fare transactions on public transport are currently made using either SimplyGo EZ-Link or bank cards, so most commuters will not be affected by this transition.

Commuters using concession cards, such as seniors, students, Workfare Transport Concession Scheme cardholders, and persons with disabilities, will also not be affected.

News of the change roused discussions about whether such a move was necessary. 

CNA's Facebook post of the announcement garnered hundreds of angry reactions and comments.

A common complaint there - and on other online discussion platforms - was that under the SimplyGo system, a card’s balance is not displayed at the MRT fare gate or bus card reader.

The screen will only show the words "SimplyGo", and users who want to check their card balance have to rely on ticketing machines or the SimplyGo app.

Some asked why a system that was not broken had to be "fixed".

LTA on Jan 9 said fare deductions and card balances could not be shown because “SimplyGo transactions are processed backend” and not at MRT fare gates or bus card readers.

Three days later, the authority said displaying such information was "technically possible" though it would take a "few seconds" to obtain and hence "slow down" entry and exit for commuters.

"Given the large numbers of commuters who are taking MRT and buses, this will lead to longer queues which is not desirable."