SINGAPORE: ComfortDelGro announced on Wednesday (Sep 4) it has launched a three-month trial of an on-demand bus service in the eastern part of Singapore.
Called ComfortConnect, the service has been available for residents in Tanjong Rhu and Meyer Road since Aug 15.
Fares will not be collected during the trial.
The bus service operates between 10am and 4pm on weekdays and serves 16 stops, including the majority of the condominiums in the Tanjong Rhu/Meyer Road area, Parkway Parade, the Singapore Swimming Club as well as Dunman High School.
“We believe that on-demand services have the potential to supplement conventional public transport services,” said Mr Pang Weng Heng, CEO of ComfortDelGro Bus.
“Through this trial, we hope to gauge the commercial viability of on-demand services which will help us plan for new services in the future,” he added.
To book an on-demand bus ride, passengers have to download ComfortDelGro’s ComfortConnect App from the Apple App Store or Google Play store. (Screenshot: Apple App Store)
To book an on-demand bus ride, passengers have to download ComfortDelGro’s ComfortConnect App from the Apple App Store or Google Play store.
They can then select a stop as a pick-up point and another as a drop-off point, indicate the date and time of pick-up before selecting book.
They will receive an in-app notification once the ride is confirmed and another notification at least two minutes before the bus arrives.
The bus will complete the ride even if there is only a single booking.
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ComfortDelGro’s trial on-demand bus service comes several months after the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced it had decided not to scale up plans for such a service following a six-month trial.
Although the trial saw mileage savings, LTA said in a news release in May that it was currently “less cost-effective” for on-demand public buses to be scaled up due to high technology costs.
