Drivers who participated in our field experiment and survey which lasted a week.

With a high chance of being packed like sardines in buses and trains, how do you get to your destination without getting squashed in the crowd in public transport? MRTs and buses can get pretty congested during the morning and evening peak hours. Even taxis are not easy to get.

One solution that is becoming increasingly popular is ride-sharing. Ride-sharing offers commuters a more comfortable and time-saving way to travel to any place within the same clusters. It allows commuters to enjoy the convenience of travelling by car, whilst reducing the costs and alleviating the associated problems of congestion when private transport is used.  Transport resources can also be maximised to serve more commuters going to the same clusters.

Our research team conducted a field experiment and survey at Suntec Convention Centre in December 2015 to gather feedback from commuters and drivers.

Part of our team members who managed the Ride Sharing field experiment and survey.

The field experiment and survey was conducted for a week over different period of the day to target different groups of commuters such as working adults, shoppers, tourists and families for better gauge of the commuters’ views towards ride sharing.

Our team member explaining the experiment objective and procedures to participants.

Commuters who participated in our survey enjoyed a shared and subsidised ride to their destination.  Our real-time ride-sharing matching system will determined the clusters to be served based on location, time and cost.  This experiment not only enabled the research team to test the matching system but also helped the team to understand the motivation factors for commuters and drivers in ride-sharing service and the operational constraints in providing shared rides.  

Commuters boarding a pre-arranged taxi as part of an incentive for participating in the experiment.

Bonding time among the research team after a week of hard work.

Thank you everyone who participated in this field experiment and survey.