SINGAPORE — The much-anticipated pilot of allowing Mastercard-issued cards to be used to pay for train and bus fares, bypassing any top-up arrangements, will start on March 20, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Tuesday (Feb 28).
Commuters holding Singapore-issued credit or debit cards and who have not been pre-registered by their banks may register their interest from the date to take part in the pilot, through TransitLink’s Account-Based Ticketing (ABT) portal (www.transitlink.com.sg/introABT).
Once they are accepted into the pilot, they would be able to pay for their rides on public transport, and the fares would be charged to their cards. Through the portal or the TransitLink Mobile Services app, they will also be able to track their journey and view their fare payment history.
The LTA first announced plans for the pilot a year ago and this partnership with Mastercard aims to reach 100,000 users.
Mr Ngien Hoon Ping, chief executive of LTA, said that Singapore is one of the first few cities in the world to test this fare payment system for public transport.
