As  noted earlier, the banks have mailed out debit cards to customers, typically passbook holders who did not have them, providing the option of online and in-person payments by card.
It seems likely that these changes, which have happened much more quickly than they might have otherwise, will further reduce the use of cheques and demonstrate to people that there are alternative and more efficient ways of making payments. This may bring the efficiency implications of maintaining the cheque system into even sharper focus.