Yesterday, Rapid Rail said that the Kelana Jaya LRT line's utilization rate has reached 109% of capacity driven by passengers wanting to avoid paying rising fuel prices. Among the issues that frequently appear on social media is that Rapid KL only accepts payments using tokens and Touch 'N Go cards.
Today, Prasarana confirmed that the open payment system for trains and buses in Kuala Lumpur will be implemented. The debit payment system has been tested since 2023 and was originally activated starting March 2024 but was postponed. When this open payment system is implemented, passengers will be free to use credit cards, debit cards, QR codes and digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet.
This project is still in the contract award process and will be finalized soon. Once awarded, open payment is expected to be fully completed within 30 months for rail services and 15 months for buses in the Klang Valley. The phased implementation will cover LRT, MRT, Monorail, BRT, Rapid KL, MRT Feeder and Rapid Penang services.
Apart from making it easier for the public to use whichever payment mode they are most comfortable using, it will also make it easier for tourists visiting the country.
There have been several viral incidents of foreign tourists being stranded or in more serious cases being reprimanded for not realizing that bus services in the Klang Valley do not support debit, credit and digital wallet cards. This is a welcome development as the open payment system is already supported on various toll systems.
