SINGAPORE, Oct 9 — Singapore taxi operator ComfortDelGro has sealed a partnership with a Finnish company to launch a new service that will give commuters instant access to a variety of transport services in one mobile application.

Called "Whim”, the all-in-one app will aim to bring together different modes of transport — taxi, bus, train, rental car and even bicycles — to provide an "endless” array of options, said ComfortDelGro in a statement yesterday.

The taxi operator, which will provide the taxi portion of the journey, added that customers "can transit from a train or bus and choose to end off with a bicycle if they wish to”.

Users can choose a pay-as-you-go option or a subscription plan, in which they will not have to handle ticketing and payments.

The service is set to go on trial in Singapore "soon”, and Whim is expected to be launched commercially in the first quarter of next year.

The company behind the so-called "Netflix of transport” is MaaS Global, which is based in Helsinki, Finland, and claims to be the world’s first MaaS (Mobility as a Service) operator.

Whim, which currently operates in Helsinki, Birmingham, Antwerp and Amsterdam, is the global market leader in this sector, ComfortDelGro said in the press release. It has about 60,000 active users and 1.85 million trips made to date.

"We are pleased to collaborate with MaaS Global so that our commuters will have another channel to book from Singapore’s largest taxi fleet,” said ComfortDelGro Singapore Taxi Business chief executive Ang Wei Neng.

"The integration of various forms of transport services into a single mobility application provides a seamless digital offering for our customers to enhance their travel experience.”

MaaS Global co-founder Kaj Pyyhtiä said: "We are proud to start our operations in Singapore with the most progressive partners. We feel that this is the perfect way to enter the Asian markets and make mobility-as-a-service available in the region. Finding the right partners is key to our success.”

ComfortDelGro did not provide more information on how the service will work for Singapore users, and would only say that MaaS Global would announce more details closer to the launch date, including pricing plans.

TODAY has reached out to MaaS Global for more information.

From MaaS Global’s website, which appears to cater to the European market, Whim users are asked to choose whether they are travelling via public transport (train or bus), taxi, rental car or bicycle. It is not clear how users can combine different modes of transport in one journey.

The app also offers three travel plans for European users that may be cancelled at any time:

"Whim to go”, where there is no monthly subscription and users pay for each individual journey they take.

"Whim Urban”, where users pay €49 (RM234.14) monthly for unlimited single tickets on public transport, taxi rides of up to 10 euros per ride, rental cars of up to €49 per day and unlimited bike rides of up to 30 minutes.

"Whim Unlimited”, where users pay €499 monthly for unlimited single tickets on public transport, unlimited taxi rides of up to 5km, unlimited rental car usage and unlimited bike rides of up to 30 minutes. — AFP