Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Ez-link Giro top-up - Part 4 (Reward users for loyalty, Manual top-ups of ez-link cards are time-wasting)

TODAY, Tuesday September 8, 2009, VOICES, page 24
Have your say. SHORT TAKES.

email
voices@mediacorp.com.sg
or visit www.todayonline.com/voices
http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/pdf/20090908/0809VOR024.pdf



Loyalty program
Obtained from
http://schrivers.blogspot.com/2009/08/loyalty-progams-to-boost-word-of-mouth.html


Reward users for loyalty
Letter from Laremy Lee

I REFER to “EZ-Reload: Convenience, peace of mind” (Sept 7).

I acknowledge that there might be processing costs incurred in the provision of the EZ-Reload by Giro service which the company might need to cover. However, this raises two questions.

According to the EZ-Link website, there are more than 8 million card-based transactions daily. Aren’t EZ-Link’s overall profits based on this volume of users enough to cover said processing costs of the Giro service?

At the same time, EZ-Link users currently need to have a $3 minimum balance on their cards before they can travel. The EZ-Link website also states that it has issued 10 million cards so far. This adds up to about $30 million of latent cash. Doesn’t the interest on this already cover the processing costs?

Using the EZ-Link system is one of only two payment options offered to commuters. In light of this fact, I feel that EZ-Link should consider absorbing the processing costs for the EZ-Reload by Giro so as to reward its customers for their loyalty to the company.









Manual top-ups of ez-link cards are time-wasting
Letter from Desmond Koh Chin Chye

I REFER to “EZ-Reload: Convenience, peace of mind” (Sept 7).

EZ-Link’s latest decision to impose a convenience fee of $0.25 for every top-up tars the Government’s holistic approach of promoting public transport. With this charge, commuters may resort to manual top-ups which is time-wasting.

If the charge is to cover processing costs, why then has the Government and many organisations been encouraging the use of Giro?

I appeal to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to weigh in on this matter as EZ-Link’s approach of charging a convenience fee contradicts LTA’s initiative of the trial launch of Symphony for e-Payment in July last year.



Reference