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Finnish start-up partners ComfortDelGro to launch new multimodal transport app

SINGAPORE — Singapore taxi operator ComfortDelGro has sealed a partnership with a Finnish company to launch a new service that will give commuters instant access to a variety of transport services in one mobile application.

Local taxi operator ComfortDelGro has sealed a partnership with a Finnish company to launch a new service that will give commuters instant access to a variety of transport services in one app.

Local taxi operator ComfortDelGro has sealed a partnership with a Finnish company to launch a new service that will give commuters instant access to a variety of transport services in one app.

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SINGAPORE — Singapore taxi operator ComfortDelGro has sealed a partnership with a Finnish company to launch a new service that will give commuters instant access to a variety of transport services in one mobile application.

Called "Whim", the all-in-one app will aim to bring together different modes of transport — taxi, bus, train, rental car and even bicycles — to provide an "endless" array of options, said ComfortDelGro in a statement on Monday (Oct 8).

The taxi operator, which will provide the taxi portion of the journey, added that customers "can transit from a train or bus and choose to end off with a bicycle if they wish to".

The service is set to go on trial in Singapore sometime between December and early next year, and Whim is expected to be launched commercially in the first quarter of 2019.

Users can choose a pay-as-you-go option or a subscription plan, in which they will not have to handle ticketing and payments. 

The company behind the so-called "Netflix of transport" is MaaS Global, which is based in Helsinki, Finland, and claims to be the world's first MaaS (Mobility as a Service) operator.

Explaining the payment options, MaaS Global’s co-founder Kaj Pyyhtia, said: “(With) the pay-per-use, currently one has to obtain each ticket for different modes separately, but all payments and tickets do happen within the Whim app. In the near future, we will allow users to purchase and obtain tickets for multiple modes of transportation with a single click.”

“On the monthly plan, most (or all) modes of transportation are included in the monthly fee, and thus tickets are included already. All the user has to do is, for example, (book) a taxi or validate their public transport ticket at the reader, and hop on.” 

Mr Pyyhtia added that the company is building a solution that will allow users to pay with a credit card within the app, and also use all public transport in Singapore. “So, the whole concept is, payment for all the modes will be enabled and within the Whim app,” he said.

Whim, which currently operates in Helsinki, Birmingham, Antwerp and Amsterdam, is the global market leader in this sector, ComfortDelGro said in the press release. It has about 60,000 active users and 1.85 million trips made to date.

"We are pleased to collaborate with MaaS Global so that our commuters will have another channel to book from Singapore's largest taxi fleet," said ComfortDelGro Singapore Taxi Business chief executive Ang Wei Neng.

"The integration of various forms of transport services into a single mobility application provides a seamless digital offering for our customers to enhance their travel experience."

Mr Pyyhtiä said: "We are proud to start our operations in Singapore with the most progressive partners. We feel that this is the perfect way to enter the Asian markets and make mobility-as-a-service available in the region. Finding the right partners is key to our success."

When asked which other partners will be on Whim, Mr Pyyhtia would only say it would make an announcement “shortly”. But he added: “They will include car rental, shared cars, and targeting shared bikes and other (exciting) modes of transportation, plus all of public transportation.”

From MaaS Global's website, which appears to cater to the European market, Whim users are asked to choose whether they are travelling via public transport (train or bus), taxi, rental car or bicycle. It is not clear how users can combine different modes of transport in one journey.

The app also offers three travel plans for European users that may be cancelled at any time:

  • "Whim to go", where there is no monthly subscription and users pay for each individual journey they take.
  • "Whim Urban", where users pay 49 euros (S$78) monthly for unlimited single tickets on public transport, taxi rides of up to 10 euros per ride, rental cars of up to 49 euros per day and unlimited bike rides of up to 30 minutes.
  • "Whim Unlimited", where users pay 499 euros monthly for unlimited single tickets on public transport, unlimited taxi rides of up to 5km, unlimited rental car usage and unlimited bike rides of up to 30 minutes.

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