With the confirmed number of H1N1 cases fast approaching the 1,000 mark, the authorities are obviously worried about the impact on tourist arrivals, F1 fan crowds, and gamblers (lack of) hedging their bets at the new casinos, oops, integrated resorts. Hence the new government spin that H1N1 is not that alarming after all, the flu is generally mild, and most people do recover from it. It’s a repeat storyline of escaped fugitive Mas Selamat being a serious, and then not so serious, terrorist after all.
But what is serious is the virulent spread of stupidity at high levels.
From Tuesday 30 June 2009 a “new generation” In-vehicle Unit (IU), or dual-mode IU, cash card reader was launched by that less than acceptable organisation, Land Transport Authority (LTA). It boasts the flexibility of using a regular NETS CashCard or the new CEPAS*-compliant ez-link transit card for ERP payments. The latter has an automatic top-up functionality for subscribers of the service, similar to existing transit cards which are GIRO linked (but which does not require payment of a subscription fee). Thanks, but no thanks, most motorists will stick with the CashCard-based reader for the time being. Besides the $150 cost to change out a perfectly functional card reader, motorists are put off by having to buy both a CashCard and the new ex-link card – and will have to switch cards on the fly – because carparks with electronic payment systems have not yet been converted to read the new ez-link cards. LTA said the 400 or so electronic payment system carparks will be “upgraded progressively from October”, but there was no commitment to when the conversion will be complete. Here’s the puzzle: wouldn’t it have been easier to upgrade the software in the existing IU to read the new ez-link card instead of having to develop a new IU/ez-link card combo that is incompatible to the carpark electronic payment system?
It gets more maddening. TODAY reader Ee Laine wrote about his discovery that all Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) ATMs can no longer top up CashCards, only the new ez-link cards (since the ATM hardware was not upgraded, DBS must have tweaked the software to read the new ez-link card). And the new ez-link cards cannot work with the existing IU reader. Not exactly a subtle way to push for the $150 upgrade at authorised LTA inspection centres. Actually there is a cheaper solution, boycott the DBS ATMs. For those more than 17,300 vehicle owners (14,900 motorcycles and 2,400 taxis/other vehicles) who have fitted the dual-mode IU, this should teach you not to be early adopters of fancy gadgetry.
*Lost in the acronyms? CEPAS stands for Contactless ePurse Application. Provided by Gemalto, a digital security company headquartered in Amsterdam, it is an interoperable micro-payment platform for Singapore commissioned by the joint collaboration of LTA and Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA). The first CEO of IDA was Yong Ying-I, daughter of former Chief Justice Yong Pung How, who famously told skeptics (about her suitability for the office) she didn’t know what CDMA is, but could always hire someone who does.
Update: On 6 July, DBS announced that all 940 DBS/POSB ATMs will be equipped to to do top-up for NETS CashCards, existing type-C ez-link cards and new CEPAS-compliant ez-link cards from July 7, 2009. Has to be done by software. $150 each to upgrade the hardware of 940 ATMs will cost a bundle.
July 3, 2009 at 11:26 am |
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July 3, 2009 at 11:54 am |
“Here’s the puzzle: wouldn’t it have been easier to upgrade the software in the existing IU to read the new ez-link card instead of having to develop a new IU/ez-link card combo that is incompatible to the carpark electronic payment system?”
That’s a good thing, maybe not from the money making pt of view. Anyway, that depends on whether the IU firmware is write-protected. If so then they can’t upgrade it.
And to read the new ez-link card, that depends on whether it has that same chipcard thing as in the cashcard (i.e. the gold metallic contacts). If its some contactless RFID card thing, then they’ll need to add a sensor.
July 4, 2009 at 11:36 am |
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