As announced earlier this year[1], the sale of standard tickets at general ticketing machines will be progressively phased out between January and March 2022. This will start with the Thomson-East Coast Line and Downtown Line from 10 January 2022. Please see Annex A for the full schedule.
2 Standard Ticket is a paper fare ticket, purchased by commuters for single or return rail trips. Today, most commuters are already using stored value cards (i.e. EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards, concession cards), and account-based ticketing (ABT) options. For ABT, commuters can use contactless bank cards (i.e. Mastercard, Visa, NETS), mobile wallets (such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay) and account-based EZ-Link cards. Both the stored value cards and ABT options offer commuters more savings and convenience over a standard ticket. For example, a 3.2km trip costs $1.70 when using standard tickets, compared to $0.92 (more than 45% in savings) when using stored value cards or ABT payment.
3 Following the initial announcement, LTA has been working with partners to reach out to seniors, lower income groups and migrant workers to encourage them to switch from standard tickets to either stored value cards or ABT options. This included outreach at community centres, social service offices and worker dormitories.
4 In addition, since September 2021, letters have been sent out to Comcare recipients who do not own a concession card, to inform them that they are eligible for a free adult EZ-Link card. The free card can be redeemed at any of the 48 TransitLink Ticket Offices or Concession Card Replacement Offices within three months from the date of the letter.
5 To ensure more commuters can continue to use their stored value cards, LTA has reduced the minimum top-up amount for such cards at ticketing machines to $2, down from $10 for adults and $5 for student concession cards. This will allow commuters who have limited cash on hand to top up, continue their journeys and enjoy the cost savings.
6 In preparation for the phasing out of the standard tickets, LTA conducted pilots earlier this year where the sale of standard tickets was temporarily halted at some MRT stations. Through these trials, we found that those who were still using standard ticket generally had access to alternative payment modes such as contactless bank cards, mobile wallets, and EZ-Link cards. They also valued the cost savings and convenience offered by stored value cards and ABT options. Commuters also appreciated the reduction in the minimum cash top-up amount.
7 To assist commuters as standard tickets are phased out, service ambassadors will be deployed at selected train stations over January to March 2022. LTA will monitor the feedback closely and work with public transport operators to ensure a smooth transition for all commuters.
