Singapore's LTA working on innovative fare payment systems

SINGAPORE'S Land Transport Authority is looking at introducing innovative fare payment systems in the near term which will allow devices with the applicable near-field communication technology to be used at fare gates.

"Such devices, including wristbands and mobile phones, will be tested out in the later part of this year," said permanent secretary for transport Pang Kin Keong at the Create Future Mobility Symposium on Wednesday morning.

The LTA is also working towards an account-based payment system where commuters need only be identified upfront while payment will be processed and charged back end, like a post-paid mobile phone subscription. For commuters, this removes the headache of topping up their fare cards regularly. Meanwhile, for transport operators, this reduces the need for top-up service counters and machines.

Another potential system that the LTA is studying for fare payment is the "be-in-be-out" (BIBO) system, where technology can identify smart cards on a commuter in a bus or train, without the commuter having to pull out the smart card to register the trip.