Beeline, the on-demand service that matches commuters and bus operators, will be taking crowdsourcing further, by launching routes so long as a minimum number of riders have committed — with their money — to a user-suggested route.

Right now, the service — launched last year by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and the Land Transport Authority — already accepts suggestions from users. But bus operators decide whether to offer the route or not, depending on demand and profitability.

In an interview with TODAY, Mr Liu Feng-Yuan, director of the Data Science Division under GovTech’s Government Digital Services, said that previously, it was difficult to determine if the suggestions were “serious” or not. “With this new feature, if you are willing to put down money for the first week, and you can get 10 people to similarly commit, then the route will run. If in the end you get only nine people, then the trip may not run and the money will be refunded,” he said.

This way, the suggestions are of “better quality” and give the bus companies more assurance about a route’s commercial viability. “It also empowers users, giving serious commuters a chance to get their suggestions heard and to get their own routes started with friends and colleagues,” Mr Liu said.

The authority did not share further details about the feature, or its launch date. Beeline is also launching another feature called Beeline Lite, which will allow commuters to track the location of free services such as shuttle buses.

It will begin testing next month, starting with two shuttle services in Orchid Country Club and Seletar Aerospace Park, said Mr Liu. TAN WEIZHEN