In a rather aggressive move towards building a cashless society, MRT stations will eventually phase out cash top-up services for EZ-link cards and other travel cards.
In the government’s vision for a fully cashless public transport system, all ticketing machines at train stations will only accept Nets or debit and credit cards to reload stored-value travel cards by 2020. By then, buses will also stop accepting coins and notes from commuters, The Straits Times reported.
Obviously, the change will hit senior citizens hard — a population which may not be as adept with technology as young folks. That’s why you might have seen TransitLink service agents hanging around self-help ticketing machines the past couple of months; they’re there to help commuters through the process.
According to the ST report, MRT stations already started phasing out cash top-up services at passenger service centers, leaving commuters to top up their EZ-link cards by themselves at ticketing machines. Elder retirees who spoke to ST noted that they’ve started relying on convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Cheers, where staff can help top up their travel cards using cash.
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