Facial recognition fare payment trial at Punggol Coast MRT station for selected public officers

AI generated

SINGAPORE – A closed trial of facial recognition technology for fare payment is underway at Punggol Coast MRT station, involving a selected group of Land Transport Authority (LTA) officers and other public officers.

In response to media queries, LTA said on Aug 4 that the participants can enter and exit the station through a modified gantry using facial scan, provided their facial profiles are linked to their SimplyGo cards.

They can use the same cards to enter and exit other stations by tapping in or out at gantries.

LTA said the modified gantry is part of a closed trial and there is currently no plan to expand the early technology trial.

Such a trial is a preliminary roll out of a new technology to evaluate its feasibility in an operational environment, commonly used to stress-test hardware and software as well as to collect user feedback.

LTA did not comment on the duration of the trial or whether it is being conducted at other stations.

Multiple images of the modified gantry and a floor decal with the words “facial recognition detection zone” at Punggol Coast MRT station have been circulating widely on social media platforms, with some users expressing curiosity about the new technology.

In 2018, LTA had tested hands-free fare payment technologies at Bedok, Kembangan, Redhill and Tiong Bahru stations for people with disabilities.

In that trial, passengers could pay their fares using a Bluetooth-enabled mobile device with a certain app or a radio-frequency identification test card. The device and card could be kept in a bag or a pocket.