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What is SimplyGo? How Public Transport Payment Works in Singapore

SimplyGo is the LTA's account-based system for paying bus and MRT fares with bank cards, mobile wallets or SimplyGo cards. How it works and how EZ-Link cards fit in.

  • By the Lookup team
  • Updated
  • 2 min read

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SimplyGo is the name of Singapore's account-based ticketing (ABT) system for buses and trains. You tap a payment card or mobile wallet at the gate or bus reader, and your fare is worked out afterwards in the background. It is run by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and sits alongside the older EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards.

How SimplyGo came about

According to the Ministry of Transport, LTA began a pilot in March 2017 that let commuters pay with bank cards, and this became the SimplyGo ABT system in 2019. Because the fare is calculated at the back end, gates and readers cannot instantly show the fare charged or a card balance without slowing people down.

What you can use

  • Contactless bank cards: Visa, Mastercard and NETS contactless credit and debit cards.
  • Mobile wallets: a card added to a phone wallet, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay.
  • SimplyGo stored value cards: the card form of the system, such as SimplyGo EZ-Link and NETS prepaid cards.

You are charged to the card or account you tapped, and you can see your trip history and fares in the SimplyGo app or on your card issuer's statement.

The 2024 transition and reversal

In January 2024, LTA announced it would phase out the older card-based ticketing (CBT) system for adult commuters from 1 June 2024, and move everyone to SimplyGo. After strong public reaction, LTA reversed this on 22 January 2024. The Minister for Transport said LTA had underestimated many commuters' preference for seeing fares and balances at the gates.

As a result, according to the Ministry of Transport's reply in Parliament:

  • the adult card-based system will keep running until at least 2030, so you can keep using EZ-Link or NETS FlashPay cards or switch to SimplyGo;
  • the concession card-based system also runs until at least 2030;
  • the government is bearing the estimated S$40 million cost of keeping the adult system going, and it will not affect fares;
  • decisions on card-based ticketing after 2030 depend on whether ABT's limits can be overcome and on commuter preferences.

I could not find a newer official statement that changes this, so check LTA's website for the current position.

Which should you choose

  • Bank card or phone wallet: nothing extra to carry, and the app shows your trip history. Fare amounts are not displayed at the gate.
  • EZ-Link or NETS FlashPay (card-based): the gate shows the fare deducted and your balance, but you need to top up the card.
  • Concession users (students, seniors, persons with disabilities): check with LTA or your operator which card type your concession is loaded on before switching.

If a fare looks wrong, you can dispute it through the SimplyGo app or your card issuer. Make sure you tap in and out on every journey, since a missed tap can cause a higher charge.

Sources

  • Ministry of Transport: oral reply by the Minister for Transport to parliamentary questions on SimplyGo
  • LTA newsroom: news release on new CBT cards for eligible commuters (February 2024)