SMRT did not respond to queries from CNA on whether mobilityX employees were affected by the closure. In January this year mobilityX had partnered with ST Engineering and the Alliance for Action on Robotics to allow commuters to use Zipster to book driverless buses as part of a three-month trial at Singapore Science Park 2. He did not say when the decision was made to shutter mobilityX and discontinue Zipster's services. "Registered users were notified in advance before Zipster app services were discontinued," said Mr Tan, adding that the intellectual property developed will be "retained and evaluated for future projects". MobilityX was backed by the local transport operator as well as Toyota Tsusho, the general trading arm of carmaker Toyota, which invested an unspecified amount in the start-up in 2018. “The shareholders reviewed mobilityX’s prospects and progress taking into account the current tough business and regulatory environments, and jointly decided not to continue funding this start-up company," said Mr Axel Tan, general manager of SMRT's corporate venture arm SMRT Ventures. However, checks on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store on Tuesday (Jun 29) found that Zipster was no longer available for download. It said at the time it had about 16,000 users following a beta trial, and had partnered with Grab, Gojek and electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to offer their services through the app.ĭuring the launch event, it was also announced that Enterprise Singapore was working with mobilityX to expand Zipster's operations to other countries in the region. Launched in September 2019, Zipster - developed by mobilityX, a subsidiary of transport operator SMRT - said then it planned to offer commuters virtually unlimited rides on buses and trains for a flat monthly subscription fee, as well as discounted rides on ride-hailing services and shared-bikes. SINGAPORE: Less than two years after it made its debut, an app that aimed to bring multiple transport options under one platform has folded, along with the SMRT-backed start-up that developed it.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |