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REGULATING TICKET PAYMENT SERVICES
In addition to the regulation of bus services and public transport fares, the PTC has also been mandated with the statutory powers to regulate ticket payment services on public transport.
With effect from April 2006, under the ticketing regulatory regime, any person who wishes to provide any ticket payment service on public transport is required to apply to the PTC for a licence, unless exempted by the PTC.
Ticket payment services on public transport include services for the following:
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clearing of ticket transaction; or
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sale, top-up, replacement, refund, or management of the use of a mode of payment for tickets.
The objective of PTC's ticketing regulation is to safeguard commuters’ interest in the mode of payment for public transport fares. Currently, the ez-link card is the predominant mode of payment for public transport fares. The cost to provide the ez-link card or any other ticket payment services has an impact on the public transport operating cost as well as the card users, i.e. the commuters.
Ticket payment service providers, which clear a total transit transaction value not exceeding $300 million per annum, will be exempted from licensing requirement. This is to avoid over regulation of small players and yet ensure that those players who are likely to have significant market power will be regulated.
Currently, only EZ-Link Pte Ltd and Transit Link Pte Ltd are regulated under this regime. Any fees charged by the two licencees have to be approved by the PTC.
To-date, there are a total of about 690 service points available island-wide at bus interchanges and RTS stations that offer sale, top-up, replacement and refund of ez-link cards.
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