More routes for bus app initiative by IDA, LTA

SINGAPORE — While commuters have been slow to bite, the authorities are pushing on with crowdsourcing bus app Beeline, and scaling it up to 21 bus routes, up from the four routes launched in August.

Some of these new morning peak-period routes will run from housing estates such as Sengkang, Punggol, Tampines and Yishun to areas such as Kent Ridge, One North and Buona Vista.

The app — which crowdsources suggestions to provide on-demand express bus services — has seen just 300 bookings since its launch, even though the authorities have received over 10,000 suggestions so far, and routes have been gradually added over the past two months.

Some trips see about two to three people per bus service, said the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), which is collaborating with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on the app.

To get more people to try the service, tickets for all Beeline rides will be priced at a promotional rate of S$2 in the month of November, regardless of the route — down from the S$4 to S$6 commuters usually pay for each trip.

The IDA said it would also look to distribute flyers in high-traffic areas such as MRT stations near relevant bus routes, and step up its efforts on social media.

Mr Kenny Teo, Aedge Holdings operations manager, one of three bus operators running the services, attributed the slow take-up rate to a lack of awareness and publicity. “But we see the majority of our riders making block bookings of up to two to three weeks… I think it will take time,” said Mr Teo, whose company currently operates one route from Sengkang to Marina Bay Financial Centre.

Assistant Professor Terence Fan, a transport specialist at the Singapore Management University, said: “It’s very easy to say that they want this or that route, but when it comes to actually taking action, they might not actually do it,” he said.

“Like with any new service, people may not know too much about it and how it operates… so they tend to go back to the more familiar, convenient model of public transport, where you’re assured of trains and buses coming every few minutes.”

Researcher Tan Pei En, 23, who lives in the Boon Lay area, said she saves money by travelling for free on the MRT to Tanjong Pagar before 8am. “Right now, I can pay less than $1.74 a day. If I do it every day, I save about S$10 a week, which is quite a lot. I would rather bear with (the long travelling time) than fork out the extra money,” she said.

However, some are willing to shell out higher prices for the convenience. Said Ms Mae Yap, 27, a recruiter, who previously took a taxi every day from Pasir Ris to the Central Business District: “Previously, I paid about S$30 for one way... Also, when I took a cab, the journey would be quite long, about 45 minutes, as the driver would take a longer route, like the ECP, to try to avoid the (traffic) jams.”

Ms Yap makes block bookings for two weeks. Commuters pay only for four trips if they book five trips at once.

Mr Liu Feng Yuan, director of the data science division at IDA, said commuters have also suggested having notifications on the app to alert commuters when the bus is arriving, or when a new route has been launched. Others have requested for more timings and drop-off points.

The Beeline experiment is expected to run till the first quarter of next year, after which the authorities will assess to see if the concept can be applied more widely.