SINGAPORE: A free exchange service for those looking to swap their NETS FlashPay cards for the NETS Prepaid Card is “temporarily unavailable” until further notice.
The exercise at SimplyGo ticket offices was initially scheduled to begin on Friday (Jan 19) and run until Jul 18.
NETS announced on Facebook last week that it would offer a one-for-one exchange programme, allowing commuters to trade their FlashPay card for a NETS Prepaid Card.
The exchange was “to coincide with the phasing out of the existing card-based ticketing system for adult commuters”.
It later said in an update on Friday morning that the service was now “temporarily unavailable until further notice” and apologised for any inconvenience caused.
CNA has contacted NETS and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for comment.
From Jun 1, adult EZ-Link cards and NETS FlashPay cards can no longer be used on buses and trains.
Commuters who are using these payment methods will have to upgrade their cards to SimplyGo EZ-Link cards or exchange them for NETS Prepaid Cards.
NETS FlashPay cardholders can continue using those cards for parking and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) payments, as well as in-store purchases at NETS acceptance points. NETS Prepaid cards cannot be used for motoring purposes.
In its announcement on Jan 9, LTA said that about two in three adult fare transactions on public transport are currently made using either SimplyGo EZ-Link or bank cards, so most commuters will not be affected by this transition.
Commuters using concession cards, such as seniors, students, Workfare Transport Concession Scheme cardholders, and persons with disabilities, will also not be affected.