Netizen launches free app for bus users in Singapore
A Reddit user uploaded a post to r/asksg on 21 Oct, sharing the launch of their free web app, Jomja.
Jomja is a bus tracker that can tell commuters exactly when they should leave home to catch their bus, so that they do not wait unnecessarily at bus stops.
The Original Poster (OP) shared on Reddit that Jomja is now live at jomja.dev.
What it can and cannot do
Jomja is completely free and does not feature any ads, while also functioning on any mobile or desktop device.
Users are informed of when they need to leave by a large text or number in the middle of the screen.
Source: Reddit
This is determined by the estimated walking time from the user’s location to the bus stop.
Users can save as many locations as they need.
It is also possible to long-press on any bus number to check its route, or to search directly for any road, stop, location, or bus.
The app is even able to notify users via push notifications when it is time to leave, or even set a scheduled daily reminder for saved places.
However, Jomja also has some limitations due to it being a web app.
It cannot be set up for “live activities” or widgets. It is also unable to track the user’s location when the page is not open.
A fun personal project
Speaking to MS News, the product designer in his 20s, who prefers to remain anonymous, shared that he created Jomja in response to a similar earlier project, Leavenow.
The Leavenow phone app is free to download and try for 30 days. However, users will have to pay a monthly fee of S$3 to S$4 to enjoy its full features.
Source: App Store
While he liked the original creator’s idea, he was turned off by the pricing model, also feeling that it lacked visual polish.
“The pricing also came off the wrong way to me, as a bus timing app simply doesn’t provide enough value to justify a subscription fee,” OP said.
He explains in his post as well that he does not agree with charging a fee for “serving data [or] resources” that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) “gives for free”.
As such, OP decided to treat Jomja as a fun personal project.
He wanted to see “how much he could get done in a day” with his current level of expertise, while also learning how to “involve AI within [his] workflows”.
He also added:
I also just wanted to share something for free, to the people who mentioned they liked the idea but couldn’t justify the cost.
Designed to invoke calmness
OP also explained the aesthetic choices behind Jomja to MS News.
He is of the opinion that most bus apps feel “busy”, adding to the stress of commuting.
Hence, he anchored his design in the direction that “it has to feel calm, something that’d feel good to open and use”.
He highlights some of these elements in Jomja:
A big number that tells you when to leave, on top of a rotating set of wallpapers in a calming, almost dreamy, painterly style that captures local icons; from the trees of GBTB (Gardens By The Bay), the waterfall in Jewel, and the national flower.
Additionally, OP wanted the app to “have a slightly goofy, whimsical human touch”.
“I thought [that] the girl mascot running to catch the bus, waiting, or flagging one down in out-of-place winter clothes fit that well, and grounds the brand against something slightly relatable,” he elaborated.
OP also shared with MS News a set of the poses that are used across the app when users are unable to get a search result, or try to open Jomja at night with no buses running.
Image courtesy of Original Poster
Image courtesy of Original Poster
He also broke down how Jomja’s name comes from two words.
Jom in Malay means “let’s”, while Ja comes from the Korean phrase, 가자 (gaja), translating to “let’s go!”
Behind the scenes
OP emphasised that Jomja was built from scratch, with Leavenow “serving as inspiration rather than a technical foundation”.
Behind the scenes, Jomja simply pulls timing and bus stop data from LTA’s public API, he explains.
It calculates the time to reach the bus stop based on the walking route one would have to take, and uses that to estimate “when you should leave” to catch the bus.
“If you can’t make the soonest bus, it’ll default to [showing] you the next one as the ‘leave at’ timing,” OP added.
OP also expressed that he was curious to see public reception towards things that are built with AI assistance “but steered further with [his] own design principles and direction”.
He said:
I dont think using AI is inherently bad, it just has a bad rep when used blindly [or] without direction. AI models tend to default to a style that is uncanny and easy to pick out, often creating that same “busy” look which went against the original pitch in Leavenow, a calming scene.
When asked if he would develop Jomja into a dedicated smartphone app, OP replied that it was not something he had considered much as doing so would add to costs.
“For now, I like that it’s something I can keep free and anyone can just open and use, without needing to download anything,” he said.
Users who enjoy Jomja and would like to support OP can also buy him a kopi.
Also read: ‘I made my block out of LEGO blocks’: Netizen remakes their HDB flat using toy bricks
‘I made my block out of LEGO blocks’: Netizen remakes their HDB flat using toy bricks
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Featured image adapted from original post on Reddit.