Today, our Minister of Transport of Malaysia Anthony Loke addressed the government's project on Open Payment for public transport in Malaysia. As such, they will implement the integration of MyDebit and Credit Cards as additional payment modes to the existing Touch 'n Go or Token cards.
According to his official statement, Open Payment is a global trend that has long been implemented in the public transport system in London, Sydney, Singapore and other leading cities. Not only does it benefit daily users but also tourists and visitors from other countries. Currently, the public uses public transportation such as trains is buying a Rapid KL token or a TNG Go at the ticket counter.
Prasarana has already started planning the implementation of an open payment system since the beginning of this year. They will start with the rail service network in Klang Valley and currently, the Rapid Rail network implementation plans are being finalised. This includes the Kelana Jaya LRT Line, the Ampang LRT Line, the Kajang MRT Line, the Putrajaya MRT Line and the Monorail.
The design and development work is expected to start in March 2024. Loke estimated that the infrastructure will take 11 months until February 2025 to complete 50% of the gantry at each station. August 2025 is the timeline for all gantries to be ready with the open payment system.
They don't plan to call it a day once the target has been reached, though. They plan to develop the system further by enabling other payment modes such as QR Codes as the next phase. In addition, the upgrade of the ticket system or Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) is now almost complete in the entire KTMB Commuter network in the Klang Valley.
From mid-November 2023 onwards, KTMB users can enjoy a new facility where all 57 KTMB Komuter stations in the Klang Valley are equipped with scanners on the gantry. It supports open payment methods including credit cards, debit cards, Touch-n-Go and QR Codes via mobile applications KTMB (KITS).
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