SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore has faced a surge in complaints and criticism, spanning over a week, following their announcement on 9 January regarding the upgrade of EZ-Link to SimplyGo for public transport.
The primary point of contention among Singaporeans has been the perceived inability of SimplyGo to display fare or balance information promptly upon tapping in public transport.
Despite the LTA’s clarification and confirmation that the SimplyGo card does have the capability to show fare and balance, with the delay attributed to processing time on the machines, grievances from Singaporeans continue to reverberate.
Rather than directly addressing the concerns of citizens or engaging in a meaningful dialogue about the issue, the LTA took an unconventional approach.
On 16 January, they uploaded a video to their Facebook page using a popular social media trend template.
In the video, captioned “Get to know us better”, every sentence is initiated with the phrase, “We are from LTA,” as the representatives proceed to share purportedly interesting facts about the organization.
One of the female staff members mentioned, “We are from LTA, that’s why we know every single MRT station name on every single line… kind of.”
Meanwhile, a male staff member remarked, “We are from LTA, of course we tell all our friends and family to walk, cycle, and ride.”
This unconventional approach by the LTA has sparked further discussion and critique.
Controversial LTA video sparks public outcry and satirical responses on social media
Since its upload, the video has garnered over 50 thousand views.
Notably, numerous netizens expressed their grievances towards the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in the comments section.
Additionally, the same complaints resonated in a discussion post on Reddit.
One Redditor criticized the LTA, suggesting a lack of sensitivity by creating a video amidst numerous complaints about SimplyGo.
Another Reddit user commented with a touch of satire, suggesting that individuals at the Land Transport Authority (LTA) drive cars to work, ostensibly to observe commuters at bus stops and gain insight into their experiences.
This humorous observation adds a layer of irony to the ongoing discussion, raising questions about the methods employed by LTA to understand the concerns of public transport users.
A Redditor humorously remarked in a satirical tone, suggesting that individuals at the Land Transport Authority (LTA) opt for driving to work to avoid using their own perceived overcomplicated product.
Another user took a satirical tone, playfully highlighting LTA’s perceived inability to address issues promptly: “We’re from LTA, we still can’t solve your problems. We’re from LTA, so we decided to post this ambiguous video to distract you! We’re from LTA, we can act blur and pretend nothing is wrong too. We’re from LTA, Later than Answer, ok?”
One Redditor, expressing resignation towards the situation, noted that the general public may not have much influence over the SimplyGo issue as long as the authorities remain inactive.
Ultimately, the sentiment conveyed is that Singaporeans may have no choice but to accept and adapt to the situation.
