SINGAPORE - A trial will begin in the second half of this year for users of OneService app to alert the authorities when they see someone in need of help.

For a start, it will focus on four groups - seniors in need, rough sleepers, cardboard collectors and tissue sellers.

A new feature on the app, called "Help Neighbour", will allow users to alert the authorities to persons from the four groups whom they think need help.

The new feature is a collaboration between the Ministry of Social and Family Development, the Municipal Services Office (MSO) which runs the app, and the Agency for Integrated Care.

It was one of several updates to the OneService app announced by Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann on Thursday (March 4) at the ministry's budget debate.

"This is especially important during the pandemic, where residents may find themselves having fewer interactions with their usual social networks," she said.

The four groups were chosen as they are commonly highlighted by residents as requiring assistance, according to MSO.

Addressing the issue of privacy, an MSO spokesman said in a statement that information on a person being helped will be collected on an as-needed basis.

"The collected information will be shared only with the relevant agencies and their partners for the sole purpose of reaching out to the person in need and will not be shared with the public," said the spokesman.

"We will also require the feedback provider to authenticate his identity, to minimise frivolous/non-genuine submissions."

Ms Sim also announced that a pilot programme to integrate the provision of municipal services will take place in Tampines from late this year.

The six-year trial aims to develop a new model that centralises the provision of municipal services under one operator, reduces manpower requirements and improves quality of services to residents.

Currently, such services are provided by several agencies - the Housing Board, Land Transport Authority, National Environment Agency, National Parks Board, PUB and the Singapore Police Force - and are at times complicated by confusion over which agencies should take charge to provide the services.

MSO said: "The intended end-state for this pilot is that it should no longer matter 'which agency's issue' it is, as the common operator will deliver all in-scope municipal services required on the ground."

The spokesman added: "This pilot aims to reorganise the delivery of the already-outsourced services around residents' needs (rather than agency lines), and more efficiently as a total system at the township level."

Agencies and MSO remain accountable for the outcomes from the new model, the spokesman added.

A tender has been called for an operator to provide multiple services during the trial, including cleaning and pest management on state land and enforcement services in public areas.

"Through this pilot, we hope to see the use of non-mainstream ops-tech like robots, workflow automation/optimisation and predictive maintenance solutions that together, reduce manpower reliance and improve service quality for residents," said the spokesman.

In addition, to reduce manpower required for servicing lights, Ms Sim said that the HDB will implement a smart lighting systems in all estates.

The system allows HDB and town councils to monitor lighting in common areas in real time, reducing the need for manual checks.

In her update on the OneService app, Ms Sim said the number of users has increased to more than 340,000 now, up from fewer than 200,000 in 2019.

For instance, its "Happenings" feature will soon allow users to get alerts on more activities in their residential block.

While all users can currently access information on dengue clusters and air quality, those living in three estates - Ghim Moh Edge, Ghim Moh Valley and Yuhua Village - have also been able to see block maintenance schedules, lift fault alerts and various other town council announcements since December last year.

These functions will be rolled out progressively to users in other estates, while new functions will be added.

From the second quarter of 2021, users can also view information about their neighbours' renovation schedules.

"Affected neighbours can plan around such inconveniences and find alternative spots to rest and work," said Ms Sim.

Those who do not have the OneService app will be able to use the services through OneService Lite - a QR code that residents can scan to report area maintenance issues.

The lite service is being rolled out across the island this year, and will soon allow residents to report faults in vernacular languages, beginning with a Mandarin service by the Holland-Bukit Panjang and Sembawang town councils.