If you’ve ever felt torn between joining the morning crowd on the rush hour commute on the MRT or paying through your nose for a cab ride to work, these couple of alternatives could probably come in handy to get you to a well-balanced decision between comfort and cost.
Haven’t heard of it yet? Don’t continue to miss out on this new amazing way to transport alternative in Singapore!
It’s an on demand (means you call for it as you require like any other cab-hailing apps, except that this is a mini-bus) ride sharing service that provides taxi-like services at bus-like prices. It also has an added bonus of a super fun user interface!
To keep up with the tight competition out there (yes Grab and Uber I mean you guys), SWAT has a Dynamic Routing algorithm which inserts new people along your route without affecting your ETA, which allows us to lower the cost of travel for everyone.
So what does it mean? Without a significant delay in ETA compared to a taxi/private car ride, you get to pay just a $5 flat fee regardless of distance traveled as little as $2 with a cap at $7.99 as the company recently launched a variable pricing model that is pegged to distance! Imagine the money one gets to save on all the cab rides!
I’ve managed to try it out FREE (and so can you if you download the app while their promo for free $20 credits last). Only currently available for iOS users and people travelling within a geo-fenced trial area, but I can only imagine how many more friends will benefit as it ramps up island wide! YAY! SWAT has launched the service on Google Play Store as well as incorporated new scheduled routes outside the original geofenced areas.
So if you’re a lucky one, start beating the morning crowd in your daily commute and enjoy a comfortable trip to work starting now!
Download the app here! And read more about it here!
Ride Sharing: UberPool or Grab Hitch
So here’s another way of how I try to save money on some of more comfortable trips to work. Uber & Grab’s been around for a while, but do you know how to look out for promos easily?
1) Always check your email or app notifications for any updated promos
2) Use coupon/promo code site such as Flipit
3) If you’re not in a terrible rush, use Uberpool or Grab Hitch (ride-sharing with others). It’s really not as awkward as it seems, plus there’s a guaranteed fare!
It takes about 10-20mins more than a normal commute if there’s people joining you on the ride, but all from the comfort of an air-conditioned environment.
4) Refer a friend – the beauty of all these apps is that it rewards you for sharing with your friends! So share the goodness and benefit with free credits for your own rides!
Leveraging on the demand for private bus operators, this app provides community-driven insights to those operators to set up bus routes. It also allows you to book seats on buses listed by private bus operators.
It’s definitely useful and affordable for people’s whose home or workplace has high enough demand to generate a route!
For me, I’m not so lucky yet, so I’ve never gotten the opportunity to try it out. So do try it out and let me know if it works for you!
The awesome thing is that it is available on iOS, Android and mobile web, so go set up an account and see if there’s a more affordable way to work for you!
With so many alternative affordable transport options, pamper yourself on days where you’re feeling the Monday blue severely, or lugging a ton of paperwork to work without breaking the bank!
And don’t forget to spread the tips with your friends! Sharing is caring! ❤
65citygirl 