Trial for on-demand public buses on the cards

SINGAPORE — A trial to see if public bus services in areas with low ridership, or with low off-peak demand, can meet commuters’ needs in real-time will hit the roads in the second half of next year.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA), which called a tender on Tuesday (Aug 15) to seek proposals from the industry, wants to see if technology can improve commutes in selected areas, while optimising costs and the use of buses and drivers. The trial, featuring dynamic routes, could be conducted in three areas: Joo Koon (for bus services 253, 255 and 257), Punggol North/West (for services 84 and 382) and Shenton Way/Marina South (for services 400 and 402). 

These are areas with low demand during off-peak hours, and commuters may be better served with on-demand public bus services, said the LTA.

The LTA said the trial aims to deliver customised services to commuters, who will be able to request pick-ups and drop-offs at any bus stop within a specified area using a mobile app — instead of being able to alight only at bus-stops along fixed routes now. This means commuters may not need to make a transfer for their journey. 

During the trial, commuters may request for a bus to pick them up from the Marina Barrage bus stop and drop them off at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre bus stop, for instance. The two destinations are currently served by two different services from Shenton Way Terrace — service 400 to Marina Barrage, and service 402 to Marina Bay Cruise Centre. The wait during off-peak hours stretches up to between 18 and 20 minutes, according to operator SBS Transit’s website. 

Commuters may not need to wait as long for buses, although waiting times will vary because the buses would not be plying fixed routes with fixed schedules. Before commuters confirm a booking on the app, they will be given the estimated arrival time of the bus at their selected boarding point. 

For commuters who “are not able to adapt to this new form of bus services”, the LTA said it would continue to run the usual scheduled bus services, but at reduced frequencies.

The LTA tender also called for participants to submit proposals for on-demand night bus services on dynamic routes to replace existing night bus services with fixed time tables and routes. 

The tender consists of two phases. It will begin with a modelling and simulation phase — to be awarded in the final quarter of this year — to evaluate service quality and resource requirements. 

The next phase will see the incumbent bus operators testing the software and hardware provided by the winning bidder. It will be awarded in the second quarter of next year, and trials are expected to start in the second half of next year and be completed by 2019, said the authority. 

On-demand bus services are not new in Singapore, but have, until now, been used to cater to the surge in demand during peak hours.

The Government launched the Beeline service in 2015, and ride-hailing company Grab began offering GrabShuttle in March this year.

Beeline matches commuters and private bus operators via an app and offers new routes based on commuters’ suggestions. The Government Technology Agency said the app has been downloaded 56,000 times and the number of routes has grown to 130, with seven private bus operators on board.

Grab is among the seven operators, using data from Beeline to power its shuttle bus services. GrabShuttle has 110 routes currently, of which about 50 are crowdsourced. A Grab spokesperson said that its shuttle bus services — priced at S$3 to S$6.80 per ride — complement existing public bus services.

“We see GrabShuttle as a public transport connector, linking (public housing) towns to MRT stations, business centres and underserved locations such as military camps, schools, industrial estates, and more,” she said.

Singapore Management University transport analyst Terence Fan said on-demand services in areas with marginal ridership is the more efficient way. 

The number of bus trips per day could be reduced, cutting costs for the operators. The success of such a service boils down to the length of routes, noted Singapore University of Social Sciences urban transport expert Park Byung Joon. With shorter routes, there is a higher chance of finding commuters travelling in the same direction. 

The three areas identified by the authorities have a diameter of about three kilometres to five kilometres, with the potential for improved first- and last-mile connectivity, said the LTA. 

Bus fares for the trial have not been determined. Bidders will propose fares that the LTA will evaluate, and more details will be announced closer to the start of the trial.

The concept requires “a shift in behaviour”, noted Dr Fan. “When people think about buses, they think about going to the bus stop to wait for it. The authorities need to educate commuters about what they need to do — from downloading the app to pressing a few buttons and waiting for a confirmation for the booking.”

Commuters such as Punggol Drive resident Jasmine Koh, 31, wondered about the transport situation for those without smartphones. “How would the elderly hail the bus?” she said. “It’s going to create confusion for them.”

Test to be carried out in three areas

• The trial is expected to cover three areas with low off-peak demand: Joo Koon, Punggol North/ West, and Shenton Way/ Marina South
• Tentatively, seven bus services will be involved: 253, 255, 257, 84, 382, 400 and 402
• Using a mobile application, commuters can request pick-ups and drop-offs at any bus stop within a specified area
• Before confirming the booking, commuters will be given the estimated time that the bus will arrive at the boarding point
• No minimum number of commuters will be required for a booking
• Algorithm matches the closest available bus to the commuter, and shorter wait times are expected  
• Bus services involved will continue to ply their usual scheduled routes at reduced frequency for commuters unable to adapt to the new services

CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this story said the number of Beeline routes has grown to 110. The Government Technology Agency has clarified that it has grown to 130 routes.