New app 'jalan jalan' lets you book various transport options
Picture the scenario: You punch into your phone where you are, define your destination, and the app shows you different ways you can get there.
The app presents the route choices based on different combinations of transport options - from public transport, shared bicycles, e-scooters, private ride-hailing services and even autonomous vehicles.
After picking a route, that shared bike or e-scooter is reserved and waiting for you for a "seamless door-to-door transport experience", said mobilityX, a start-up that has developed such an app. The start-up is seed-funded by SMRT and supported by the Economic Development Board.
The app - "jalan jalan" - is now being tested at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) campus and the nearby JTC Corporation's CleanTech Park following a partnership last August between the two organisations and mobilityX.
The start-up hopes to roll out the app islandwide in phases at the end of the year and have it completed in one to two years, said its chief executive Colin Lim.
While there are other similar apps that help commuters plan routes, this is the first to integrate route planning, booking and payment, said Mr Lim.
For a start, users will be able to tap 'jalan jalan' to plan and pay for public transport commutes.
But mobilityX is also working with other players in the industry, such as bicycle sharing firms oBike and Mobike, as well as e-scooter sharing company Telepod, to allow people to book and pay for their commutes through the app.
In tests at the NTU campus and JTC park, users are given several route options that tap on different combinations including shuttle buses at NTU, and shared bicycles and e-scooters provided by several firms at the two locations.
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