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Singapore - You've woken up late and dashed out of the house. You know that taking the train or the bus is no longer an option. You try to flag a cab but the queue is long. You try calling a cab but are told by an automated voice that "All our cabs are busy at the moment. Please try again later." You then vow to buy a car but are prevented from doing so by high COE prices.
With the launch of a new Smartphone application by Kind Capital Pte Ltd, such scenarios could soon become a thing of the past.
Split-It! aims to give commuters a platform to share taxis and split the fare, all while on the go.
According to Winnie Tang, 29, the founder of Kind Capital, the idea for Split-It! first originated when she was working as a banker in the Central Business District.
"I personally find it a challenge to get a taxi especially during peak hours. Often I would see taxis with single passengers and think, 'If only we could share that cab' - that was when the idea for a taxi-sharing application took root in my mind".
Determined to find a solution, Winnie eventually came up with Split-It!, which allows registered users to utilise this platform to find other commuters from the same neighbourhood traveling in the same direction.
All a user has to do is login and submit a search request among Split-It!'s membership base.
For security purposes, all members are required to have a Facebook account. Users can thus see who they would be sharing the taxi with.
This scheme has been approved by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The LTA has said that "(the) company's proposed taxi sharing application to facilitate taxi commuters to meet and share a taxi will serve a social purpose".
Furthermore, Split-It! can be used across multiple taxi companies since it pairs members up by location and destination only. As of now, none of the 10 taxi providers in Singapore have a sharing application.
Users will be charged a monthly membership fee of between S$10 to S$30 a month, or on a pay-per-use basis to book a shared taxi. Split-It! launches later this month and will be free to download for now. Membership will also be free until the trial period is over.
cyap@sph.com.sg
 
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