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Reconsider plan for a fully cashless public transport system

I have been using the automatic ez-link top-up for years. It is convenient because I need not bother about the value in my card. It makes me wonder why everyone is not using this facility.

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Chong Lee Ming

I have been using the automatic ez-link top-up for years. It is convenient because I need not bother about the value in my card. It makes me wonder why everyone is not using this facility.

But it also reminds me of a personal anecdote several years ago. I was then a business consultant tasked with managing a jewellery shop temporarily.

The first time the workers were to be paid, the supervisor requested a cash cheque to pay them in cash. My boss was reluctant to sign one, as it was riskier.

He looked at me in disbelief when I told him these workers did not have bank accounts.

He relented only when I explained that as their wages were low, they could not save much and therefore did not wish to incur the monthly charges for maintaining a bank account.

The lesson here is, for whatever reason, there will be people who are unable to go cashless. Would completely phasing out cash payments on public transport discourage them from travelling?

Public transport is meant to be inclusive, but the underprivileged are the ones that face the greatest difficulty going cashless. Would they become more alienated from society?

While there is an assurance that cash payments will be available at convenience stores nearby, this effectively shifts the load elsewhere (LTA, TransitLink to begin cutting back on cash transactions for public transport; Aug 11, online).

More people will be queueing at these stores for such services, making it inconvenient for others to buy things.

The stores may withdraw such services eventually if profitability is affected, and the authorities would have to provide the services again.

China, which is ahead of the curve going cashless, still accepts cash on public transport. In fact, as most locals have gone cashless, tourists taking public transport in major Chinese cities generally have little hassle buying tickets using cash.

I doubt that tourists in Singapore will have a good experience if using public transport is difficult owing to a cashless system.

While going cashless is the way forward, we should not take a sledgehammer approach and estrange some parts of society. The authorities should reconsider their plan.

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