Touch 'n' Go eyes 2m card sales

Touch 'n' Go Sdn Bhd, an electronic payment system provider, is targetting the sale of two million cards this year, mainly driven by the high usage of the cards in public transport.

Its Chief Executive Officer, Hasni Zarina Mohamed Khan, said since the implementation of new bus ticketing system (NBTS) within the Rapid KL bus service, the penetration rate, to date, has reached an all-time high of 70 per cent, from only one per cent, in 2004.

"Annually, we sell about one million cards. With all these initiatives, we are looking at two million cards this year," she told reporters at a media briefing here today.

Currently, more than 22 million Touch 'n' Go cards, including MyKad, have been issued with more than four million cards remaining active.

The company was looking at 90 per cent penetration rate in the coming two to three months, she said.

"This is a phenomenal growth. It shows that Malaysians are ready and more confident of adopting and using this electronic payment system," Hasni added.

Other initiatives in the pipeline includes auto-reload from savings and current accounts, as well as, the adoption of the NBTS in other major cities.

The NBTS, which allows Touch 'n' Go cards to be purchased, reload and used as fare payment, is currently used onboard 1,336 buses.

"We are also talking with some local banks to adopt this auto-reload facility. This is part of our initiative to give more value-added service to our customers," she said.

Currently, through partnership with eight banks, the Touch 'n' Go Zing card allows auto-reload through credit cards.

As at end-May, there were 755,163 Zing cards in circulation.
-- BERNAMA