IPOH: The Transport Ministry wants the open payment system to be expanded to more public transport operators.
Its minister, Anthony Loke, said besides Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) was also taking steps to implement the system.
He said the ministry always encouraged the digitalisation of services for passenger convenience and reminded the operator to ensure a smooth system.
"One of the important things in this open payment system is once we tap (for payment at the gantry), it must be fast (the gate to open).
"Sometimes, it takes a while to open (the gate) as it requires confirmation from the bank. So when it takes more than five seconds, the queue will be longer," he said.
Loke was speaking at a press conference after launching the KTMB Open Payment System at the Ipoh KTM station, today.
For now, the system is only for KTM Komuter users.
"Passengers can go directly to the platform to board the Komuter using payment cards, such as bank cards and Touch 'n Go, and e-wallet," he said.
The minister, in his speech earlier, said KTMB had shown innovation and forward-thinking through its digitalisation initiative.
"The user experience can be improved, whereby they can travel using debit and credit cards, as well as payment modes featuring near-field communication (NFC) such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.
"These are in addition to the KTMB KITS application and existing Touch 'n Go cards.
"In fact, the digital and open payment system greatly benefits KTMB in terms of cash management costs and ticketing machine maintenance, which were previously burdensome," Loke said.
He added that KTM commuters in the Klang Valley and northern region, including Ipoh, would be able to enjoy the open payment system once all 80 KTM Komuter stations were equipped with the necessary scanners at the gantry.