Ryde's mobile app hit by technical issues on Monday; 20,000 users affected

Ryde said that it was experiencing technical issues while upgrading to a "live ping system". It did not elaborate further. PHOTOS: LIANHE ZAOBAO, ST READER

SINGAPORE - More than 20,000 users of local ride-hailing platform Ryde were unable to access the mobile application on Monday (July 9).

In a Facebook post at 7am, Ryde said that it was experiencing technical issues while upgrading to a "live ping system".

In response to queries, Ryde said on Tuesday that the new system "delivers a better user experience for both riders and drivers". The server migration was scheduled to be completed on Monday morning.

However, the migration took longer than expected with some technical issues surfacing, it said.

Facebook user Jimmy Lesley Ng said at about 8am that he had a ride scheduled for 7.40am but had no way of contacting the Ryde driver as the app did not work.

Another user, Ms Serene Richardson-Wong, said that she similarly missed her ride and "scrambled to find an alternative this morning".

In an update at about 8.15am, Ryde said that the app was now up for Android users.

However, iPhone users still faced difficulties in connecting to the app.

A message in the app informed these users that "connection to server is temporarily lost" and to "please try again".

It added that if the problem persists, the app could be undergoing maintenance and that users should check back later.

iPhone users were told in a Facebook post more than 12 hours later at 9pm that the app was back up for them, but on Tuesday morning, some users said in the comments that they still faced issues.

In an electronic direct message to all users at noon on Tuesday, Ryde apologised for the disruption.

It added that the disruption was caused by a scheduled migration to a new system, which started at 3am on Sunday, but "took longer than expected".

"This is not acceptable. We are aware that thousands of people depend on us for their daily commute and drivers drive as a means to make a living," the message said.

Ryde, which started three years ago as a carpooling platform, launched its private-hire car service RydeX in May.

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