Loke: Development of open payment system for Prasarana's rapid rail network to begin in March 2024

• "If necessary, this system will continue to be developed by enabling the use of other payment modes such as QR code in the next phase of implementation."

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 26): The commencement of design and development work for the open payment system serving the rapid rail network under Prasarana Malaysia Bhd is expected to begin in March 2024,  according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke (pictured).

According to Loke, the infrastructure construction will be completed in 11 months, by February 2025, with 50% of the gantries at each station prepared to accept an open payment mode, and by August 2025, all gantries will be ready to accept such payment.

"If necessary, this system will continue to be developed by enabling the use of other payment modes such as QR code in the next phase of implementation," Loke replied to Wong Chen (PH-Subang) during the oral question and answer session in Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

According to Loke, Prasarana has been planning to implement an open payment system starting with its rail service network in the Klang Valley since the beginning of 2023. Prasarana is currently finalising the implementation plan for the Rapid Rail network, which includes the Kelana Jaya LRT Line, the Ampang LRT Line, the Kajang MRT Line, the Putrajaya MRT Line and the Monorail.

This new system will introduce MyDebit and credit cards as additional payment options at the gantry in addition to existing payment methods that use Touch 'n' Go or tokens, said Loke.

For the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) commuter network in the Klang Valley, Loke said an upgrade on the ticketing system or Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) at 57 KTM stations in the Klang Valley is almost complete and ready to go live by mid-November 2023.

"The new system is equipped with scanners on the gantries that support open payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, Touch 'n' Go, and QR code via the mobile application KTMB (KITS). The total cost of the project is RM29 million," Loke added.

Positive response to women-only coach initiative

On whether more women-only coaches would be added to the rail network, Loke said the Transport Ministry will need to assess their effectiveness before coming to a decision, in response to Shaharizukirnain Abdul Kadir's (Pn-Setiu) query.

Loke stated that currently, the ministry has designated one coach for women-only passengers per four-coach train. If the ministry were to add more women-only coaches, it will also directly reduce the number of mixed coaches, Loke said, emphasising the importance of balance.

While there are currently no regulations or fines imposed on male passengers boarding women-only coaches, Loke stated that the authorities will place officers or auxiliary policemen at stations to ensure that only female passengers have access to the coach.

"At the moment, the authorities are adopting an approach of encouragement and reprimand, but the response to the women-only coach is very encouraging, and we can see that everyone is following the rules, with male passengers also cooperating," Loke added.

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