Rapid KL Card and E-Wallet Fares Could Take 30 Months as Prasarana Re-Runs Tender
Commuters in the Klang Valley who hoped to tap a bank card or phone at the LRT gate soon will have to wait longer. Transport Minister Anthony Loke told Parliament on 21 October 2026 that Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, the state-owned operator of Rapid KL trains and buses, is still choosing a vendor for its “open payment” fare system, and that full rollout on the rail network could take up to 30 months after the project starts.
Open payment means riders pay fares with the cards and phones they already carry, instead of a dedicated transit card. The plan was first announced in 2023, but the first tender ended without a contract being awarded and had to be run again.
Key facts
- Prasarana is in the final stage of technical and commercial evaluation and expects to decide on the contract by the end of 2026.
- Within 12 months of the project starting, 30% of the fare gates and ticketing equipment at each Rapid KL rail station should accept open payments; the whole rail network should follow within 30 months.
- Rapid Bus services in the Klang Valley are targeted for full implementation within 15 months. Penang’s Rapid buses are also covered.
- Planned payment methods include MyDebit, international credit and debit cards, contactless phone payments (NFC), e-wallets, QR codes and Touch ‘n Go cards.
- Prasarana is funding and managing the project itself. In 2023 the minister had said open payment on Rapid Rail was expected by August 2025.
Why the long wait
Loke said the stretched timeline comes from Prasarana’s internal procurement rules, which require a transparent and competitive bidding process. He acknowledged there “may have been internal issues” behind the failed first tender, but said the Transport Ministry did not interfere, because Prasarana has autonomy over its own procurement.
The question was raised in the Dewan Rakyat (Malaysia’s lower house of Parliament) by Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan. Opposition MPs also pressed the minister on why the system is still not in place. By comparison, KTM Komuter’s Klang Valley stations were set to start accepting open payments from mid-November 2023, under a RM29 million upgrade.
Replacing fare collection on a busy metro network is not a simple software update. Gates, validators on buses and the back-end systems that calculate fares all have to be upgraded and tested together, while trains and buses keep running. That is why the plan is phased, starting with a share of the gates at each station rather than switching everything on at once.
What it means for Malaysians
- Commuters: For now, Touch ‘n Go cards and single-journey tokens remain the main way in. Once the new system is live, riders should be able to tap a MyDebit card (Malaysia’s domestic debit card scheme run by PayNet) or a Visa or Mastercard card, or use Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay or Alipay on their phones. Commuters have long complained about queues at top-up counters and gates.
- Tourists: Visitors could ride with the card or wallet they already use at home, without buying a local transit card first. That matters as Malaysia courts arrivals for Visit Malaysia 2026.
- Banks and card schemes: Transit is a high-frequency, low-value use case. Wider acceptance at the gate would move millions of small daily payments onto debit cards and phone wallets, a shift that has already happened in cities such as London and Singapore.
- E-wallets and Touch ‘n Go: The Touch ‘n Go card stays on the list of accepted methods, but it would lose its near-exclusive position at Rapid KL gates once bank cards and phone wallets work there too.
What to watch
- Whether Prasarana names a vendor and signs the contract by the end of 2026, which starts the 12-, 15- and 30-month clocks.
- How fares and transit passes, such as the My50 unlimited pass, will work with bank cards, including daily or weekly fare caps.
- Whether QR payments via DuitNow are offered at the gate from day one or added later.
Read more: How Malaysia’s payment system works and DuitNow explained.
Sources: Malay Mail (Oct 2026); Business Today (Oct 2026); Fintech News Malaysia (Oct 2026); The Sun (Oct 2026); Bernama (Oct 2023).
