SINGAPORE: Ridership on some routes, with some having close to zero people at times, while others have more than 20 passengers, is strikingly different for a free shuttle bus services for Marine Parade residents.  ,
A spokeswoman for the Marine Parade grassroots organizations responded to CNA’s questions by saying that the company has seen” steady consumption across most pathways.”  ,
However, the program will be refined based on ridership data and citizens ‘ comments. Before the end of the year, schedule or pathways may be changed, the spokesperson said.
The Marine Parade GRC, MacPherson SMC, and Mountbatten SMC people were the first to take advantage of the one-year pilot program that the company ran on July 8.
CNA writers spent about three weeks talking with people on their comments on four of the seven routes that were offered to residents to examine the service’s reputation over the course of two weeks.
The service, which would cost S$ 1 million ( US$ 776, 000 )  , a year , to operate, is funded by a , S$ 200, 000 one-off grant from the South East Community Development Council ( CDC ) with the rest coming from donations raised by the CDC and the Marine Parade grassroots organisations.  ,
Alvin Tan, the Minister of State for Culture, Community, and Youth, told parliament in August that the Marine Parade city swarm will eventually need to increase its own funds to cover the full value of the procedure, with “many aspects of the service to evaluate and to enhance” through the one-year pilot. He added that other CDCs had first research the outcomes and experiences of the captain before starting related efforts.
Under the captain, the seven roads run across Braddell Heights, MacPherson, Mountbatten, Geylang Serai, Kembangan-Chai Chee, Marine Parade , and Joo Chiat, with cars calling at services such as polyclinics, stalls areas and MRT facilities.
According to CNA reporters, two routes had close to zero passengers on some days, while others were significantly more popular because the buses were only half full on morning and lunchtimes. Additionally, they discovered that ridership typically peaks in the morning and decreases in the afternoon.  ,
The service is targeted at the non-working crowd and runs during off-peak hours – 10am to 4pm on weekdays, excluding public holidays.  ,
Each route has between five and seven stops and spans a 35- to more than an hour loop.
Residents can sign up for a card to use the shuttle service by downloading the TongTar Riders app or by visiting a local community club.  ,
To board the bus, they will need to tap their card or scan the barcode provided by the app.