Tap and donate to charity at 8 MRT stations, 2 bus interchanges, Latest Singapore News

Passengers can now tap their ez-link and payment cards at 10 donation collection points at eight MRT stations and two bus interchanges until September as part of the latest edition of public transport operator SMRT’s Tap for Hope campaign.

In its fourth year, the fundraiser allows people to make donations in a variety of denominations – $2, $8, $10, $20, $50 or $100 – using ez-link cards or linked devices such as mobile phones and smartwatches.

As SMRT said during the launch of the collection on July 5, donations can also be made using credit and debit cards, as well as Mastercard, Visa, JCB or Alipay+ e-wallets.

In the previous edition of the campaign, running from December 2023 to January 2024, passengers could only donate in denominations of $2, $6 or $8.

A wider choice of denominations means greater convenience for those looking to transfer larger amounts.

SMRT said donation collection points for this edition of Tap for Hope can be found at Bugis, Esplanade, HarbourFront, Outram Park, Orchard, Paya Lebar, Tanjong Pagar and City Hall MRT stations, as well as at the Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange and the Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub.

All drop-off locations will be open from July 5 to September 30. The exception is the drop-off location at City Hall Metro Station, where donations can be dropped off until September 11.

All proceeds from the campaign will go to 65 social service agencies under the Presidential Challenge, including The Helping Hand Halfway House, Singapore Cancer Society and the Rainbow Centre.

The first and second editions of Tap for Hope raised more than $80,000 combined, and the third edition raised more than $30,000. There is no specific fundraising goal for the fourth edition.

Marketing graduate Chloe Tay said Tap for Hope is a good initiative because the proceeds from the charity go to those in need.

“Now that I know about it, I would like to donate,” said the 23-year-old, who spoke to The Straits Times at HarbourFront MRT station.

Solutions architect Seet Leng Chye said he is unlikely to make a donation because he prefers to give directly to charities rather than through an intermediary.

The 32-year-old said SMRT’s fundraising drive is a “high-tech” initiative that makes donating more convenient compared to conventional fundraising methods that require people to collect donations in person.

“But when you ask someone to donate and people hold up a donation box, there is a greater human touch,” Mr Seet added.