New LTA app helps taxis and commuters find each other on the street

A screen grab of the new Taxi-Taxi@SG app
A screen grab of the new Taxi-Taxi@SG app

SINGAPORE - The Land Transport Authority launched its own taxi app on Wednesday.

But unlike its many rivals on the market, Taxi-Taxi@SG does not help users to book a cab. Instead it helps them to find one on the street.

The free smartphone app, that can be downloaded free of charge from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store, allows commuters to "see" available taxis nearby.

The LTA said: "With this information, commuters can better decide whether to continue waiting for a taxi on the street, walk to a location with more available taxis, book a taxi instead, or make alternative transport arrangements."

Another difference is Taxi-Taxi@SG's coverage. Unlike some third party apps which show the locations of only taxis which have signed up with them, it app shows the location of all available taxis from Singapore's entire fleet of 28,000.

The app also enables street commuters to broadcast their locations, allowing cabbies to "see" areas of high demand.

The app appears similar to one developed by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) last year.

christan@sph.com.sg

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