Product Summary - TLM Assignment
Product summary of Bluesg car hiring
service
‘Bluesg’ according to is a new company
formed in Singapore to support our public transport system in the form of a car
sharing service. (Bluesg.com.sg, 2020)
About one thousand electric cars
were deployed all around Singapore since its launch in 2017, sprinkled across the
country from public housing areas, downtown and commercial areas. The point-to-point
car hiring service meant that patrons do not have to return it to the starting
point. Neither will they have to pay for maintenance or insurance when owning a
private car. This company belonged to the Bollore Group from Paris which also
owned ‘Autolib’, a very established car sharing company in Paris. Making
Singapore the world’s second largest car sharing company. The Economic
Development Board and Land Transport Authority tendered an open bid and
received positive response from thirteen companies, and Bollore came out a
successful candidate for having quality service and track records.
The car sharing service is
provided by a network of charging stations for its EV (Electric Vehicles), where
they can be returned and borrowed by the next patron. The Bluesg electric
vehicles are equipped with high-quality Lithium Metal Polymer (LMP) batteries
which can carry the car and its passengers for almost 200km in a single charge.
The LMP batteries consists of thin films of materials, holding the high-density
charges while still being safe for consumer use. Another feature of the
batteries is that they are completely pollution free and can be reused or
recycled at the end of their lives.
Analytical Evaluation
‘Bluesg’
is a new company setup by their French parent company Bollore Group to solve
the short-term car rental service problem faced by Singaporeans. Before their
entry to the market, often people must endure the packaged car rental service
provided by traditional car rental services, which is to rent the car for the
entire weekend even though they might only need it for a short period. The main
attraction of this service is that high quality rental cars can be picked up
from and returned at any nearby charging stations across its ever-growing, nation-wide
network of charging stations. The ‘Bluecars’ Bluesg provide are equipped with their
Unique LMP (Lithium Metal Polymer) Batteries which are fully recyclable and manufactured
by Bollore Group. (Bluesg.com.sg, 2020) These long-lasting batteries allow the car
to travel for up to 200km on a single charge. The ‘Bluecar’’s on-board computer
handles GPS navigation, user interface for simple controls (changing radio stations,
carpark reservation) and system status reporting to server. (remaining mileage,
battery temperature, system errors, etc.) ‘Bluecar’ did not neglect the safety
of its passengers despite the comfort and spacious interior. There is ABS braking
system for rainy weather, airbags for the front two passengers, power-steering
and sensors to provide audible warning to pedestrians. The backseats can be
folded down for more storage, and they are ISOFIX compatible for child-seats to
be mounted. In case of breakdown or emergency, there is a ‘BLUE’ button to connect
to the ‘Bluesg’’s call-centre via the communication system in the car to get
assistance. This simple but feature-packed electric car gives patrons the
confidence they needed.
In recent
experiences, I have found the service to be extremely convenient and reliable when
I need to perform several errands in a jiffy. There is a charging station near my
home, which allows me to book my “Bluecar” and I was on the road in under
10mins. When I parked my car, the car status did not change to “parking” in the
app. However, the issue was settled quickly by calling the ‘Bluesg’ call-centre
and their friendly and helpful customer service agent was patient in resolving my
case.
Besides
providing car rental service, ‘Bluesg’ also started allowing private electric
car owners to recharge their cars at their charging stations. (Neo, 2019) This
is encouraging to electric car owners since it is easier to look for charging
stations now. The rapid increase in subscribers in recent years has led to the
one millionth rental service in August this year. (Straits Times, 2020) This means
that ‘Bluesg’ is heading in the right direction and will likely see even more
users in the upcoming years, as more prospective car owners will look to
greener and more affordable solutions than owning a car can get quite costly in
Singapore. It makes more sense to rent short term whenever the need arises. Over
the years, ‘Bluesg’ has revised its price plans and features in its car-rental
app. Their basic plan is as low as $8 per month without usage limit, and other
premium plans that include 45minutes of usage. ‘Queue-pop’ feature in the app will
place the user in a virtual queue when either a car or parking space is not
available. The user will be notified when one becomes available, reliving much
stress from the user.
‘Bluesg’ is
not without criticism. The downside to this service includes long wait times
for cars during the morning rush hours, and vice versa during the evening hours
since the cars have been taken up by commuters to get to work. The destination
of a user may not be close to a charging station, taking a taxi or grab might
be a cheaper alternative in these cases. The balance between installing new
charging stations in the heartland and common work areas or other popular
destinations is a hard challenge for ‘Bluesg’ and the government as not all carpark
locations are managed by JTC or Capitaland. There is also the fact that Bollare
Group has withdrawn their service from three cities in the past two years. Paris,
(their home ground!) being the first to go. So whether Bollare Group will
continue to direct resources in tiny Singapore to expand their services still
remains to be seen.
In
general I still believe with concerted efforts from the government and ‘Bollare
Group’, ‘Bluesg’ will continue to grow in Singapore.
References
1.
Channel News
Asia – Elizabeth Neo
2. Straits
Times – Shabana Begum
3. Asiaone –
Joanne Poh
https://www.asiaone.com/money/bluesg-car-rental-singapore-are-their-prices-really-worth-it
4. Asiaone –
John Doe
https://www.asiaone.com/digital/2-years-bluesg-has-electric-vehicle-car-sharing-improved-singapore
Comments
reference at least three outside source articles, maybe more if you have more research.