Singapore Pilots Account-Based Ticketing System for Public Transport

Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Mastercard are to jointly launch a pilot of the Account-Based Ticketing (ABT) System for public transport.

The system allows contactless credit cards and contactless debit cards to be used for fare payments.

Singapore will be the first in Asia, and one of the few cities in the world, to enable this.

The pilot will be launched on 20 March 2017, and will be applicable for all public bus and train rides.

Commuters holding Singapore-issued Mastercard contactless credit or debit cards can register their interest on the TransitLink ABT Portal, if they have not been pre-registered by their banks.

In all, LTA and Mastercard hope to attract at least 100,000 commuters to participate in the pilot.

Cardholders who are accepted onto the pilot will be able to enjoy a “tap and go” fare payment experience by simply tapping their Mastercard contactless credit or debit card on the bus or MRT fare readers. They will no longer go through the hassle of having to carry and constantly top up a separate fare card, and instead will be conveniently charged for their public transport rides in their credit or debit card bill. Through the TransitLink ABT Portal or Mobile Services app, they will be able to track their journey and fare payment history.

LTA’s partnership with Mastercard goes towards furthering Smart Mobility efforts, one of the key pillars of Singapore’s Smart Nation vision. It is another step forward in the journey to tap on digital payment technology to enhance commuters’ mobility experience.

For LTA, it follows an earlier initiative to enable Account-Based payment of ERP charges, where motorists are able to pay for their ERP charges using their credit/debit cards or via their bank account without a need for a physical stored-value card.

Ms Deborah Heng, Country Manager of Mastercard Singapore, said, “Apart from use on public transport, Mastercard contactless payments are already available in many popular retail and F&B merchants, as well as a large number of taxis. The introduction of  Account-Based Ticketing in Singapore’s public transportation system is the latest in Mastercard’s commitment to deliver smart city solutions to Singapore. In the near future, we expect to broaden contactless access by enabling mobile and wearable devices for cashless use.”

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