COMMUTERS WITH EXISTING EZ-LINK CARDS WILL NOT BE AFFECTED BY THE CARD COST. CARD COST FOR SENIOR CITIZENS AND THE NEEDY WILL BE WAIVED
Issued By: EZ-Link Pte Ltd
SINGAPORE, 4 November 2003 – EZ-Link Pte Ltd announced that from 4 November 2003, public transport commuters who wish to buy a new adult ez-link card will have to pay a non-refundable card cost of S$5. For those in need, this cost will be waived. Senior citizens will now save S$2 when they first get their senior citizen concession cards.
The introduction of the card cost will not affect the price of the new adult ez-link card. It will remain at S$15 in the following components: S$7 stored value, S$3 refundable travel deposit and the non-refundable S$5 card cost.
New ez-link cards will be sold with a non-refundable card cost. The number of commuters likely to be affected by the new card charge is expected to be small as almost all regular commuters would already have at least one ez-link cards.
An ez-link card can last for five to seven years if it is properly maintained and not wilfully damaged or misused. If the card is faulty through normal use, it will be replaced at no cost to the commuter.
Rationale for New Card Policy
EZ-Link Pte Ltd had issued a total of 2.96 million free ez-link cards since its introduction in April 2002. These commuters only had to pay for the travel deposit and stored value.
A further 2.12 million adult cards have been issued whereby commuters were given free use of the card in exchange for a card deposit that is fully refundable. These cards are issued at $15 comprising a S$2 card deposit, a S$3 travel deposit plus a S$10 stored value. The card deposit, the remaining balance of the travel deposit and stored value are refundable.
To date, over 5.3 million cards have been issued, while our figures reflect 4.2 million rides daily on our public transport system. The number of cards used for these 4.2 million rides is far less than 4.2 million as each commuter will use his card to make several trips per day. Despite this, there continues to be about 3,700 new cards issued daily (or approximately 111,000 cards monthly).
The number of cards that have not been used for six months or more is about 215,000 as at August 2003. Charging the non-refundable card cost is to reduce wastage so that commuters only buy what they need.
"This new card charge will not affect commuters who already have an ez-link card. It will only apply to the sale of new adult ez-link cards. Most commuters already have at least one card. If they want to purchase additional cards, they should pay for the card cost," said EZ-Link’s Senior VP of Business and Technology, Mr Nicholas Lee.
EZ-Link would also like to assure everyone that there is no necessity for commuters to own more than one card as there are a variety of top-up options available to them, such as the General Ticketing Machines, Add Value Machines and Ticketing Offices.
For even greater convenience, commuters can have their ez-link cards linked to either Giro or the Auto Credit Card Top Up facility. Such cards, when used at any fare gate or bus reader, are automatically topped-up to a predetermined level set by the cardholder when the stored value of card goes to zero or negative value. This eliminates the need for cardholders to stand in queues to top-up the cards at the options listed above.
Looking out for those in need
EZ-Link is mindful of the needs of the less fortunate. It has therefore set aside 50,000 cards each year to be given free to Singaporeans who require financial assistance and who may need to obtain an ez-link card. EZ-Link is working closely with community organisations to assist this group of commuters.
Concession card holders
In addition, EZ-Link will waive the refundable card deposit of S$2 for senior citizens and will not impose the non-refundable card cost of S$5. Senior citizens will now save S$2 when they are issued with their first senior citizen concession ez-link card, i.e. from S$18 to S$16. The S$16 comprises S$10 stored value, S$3 refundable travel deposit and a card personalization fee of S$3.
Children below eight years of age, MOE and ITE students will continue to get their first ez-link cards free. That is to say, they will not need to pay the S$5 card cost.
Lower cost for our cards
"We continually strive to secure the lowest cost for the ez-link cards. We will also ensure that these savings are passed on to commuters," said Nicholas.
EZ-Link is pleased to announce that it has successfully secured a lower price of S$5 for the latest batch of ez-link cards. EZ-Link is therefore able to set the non-refundable card cost at $5 instead of S$6, which was the previous cost of the card.
With immediate effect, the replacement fees for all lost concession cards will be reduced by $1 to reflect the lower card cost.