A safe, convenient and cheap solution to university students’ mobility needs, Jom Tumpang, an advanced carpooling platform is making a household name in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) just after two years in the market.
Founded by graduates Mohamed Haziq Ezwan Baharudin and Ismail Shaik Sindamar, both 25, the application was created upon realising the problems students face with public transportation at universities.
Mohamed Haziq said that commuting has always been an issue for most students, either for a short trip to the library, playing games, or getting home for the weekend.
“While there are public transportation available, they only run on fixed routes and do not cover certain areas. It is also time-consuming and a hassle to commute during peak hours.
“That was why I developed Jom Tumpang, an e-hailing service that will get students a reliable ride within and out of the campus.
“We are aware that most university students race against time and have to wait for a very long time for buses to take them from one place to another. Now they can move around via Jom Tumpang, which is easier and faster,” he said.
Mohamed Haziq, who is finishing his PhD in Gamification in Ridesharing and e-Hailing at Institute of Visual Informatics in UKM, said the application is not only meant to provide students with an easier alternative to commute, but is also a safer option.
His co-founder Ismail added that they are also aware that students, especially females, are concerned about safety issues when picking up any e-hailing services available as they have to ride with a total stranger.
“Using Jom Tumpang, they can choose to have a female ‘buddy’ — which refers to the drivers on duty at that time — to bring them to their destination,” said Ismail, who just graduated from his studies in Actuarial Science.
Even though the concept is quite similar to taking Uber or Grab, the advantage that Jom Tumpang offers is the cheap fares, which befits students’ budget.
“You’re not only sharing the car but you also cut costs since the fare is based not on per head but per car,” Ismail added.
He explained that the service operates 24 hours upon request.
“We offer a much cheaper price, to almost half of the usual price charged by other e-hailing services.
“Starting as low as RM6 per trip to RM65, you may ride with us to Negri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur and around Selangor,” he said.
Although Jom Tumpang only operates in UKM, the destinations aren’t limited to in-campus alone but is up to customers’ requests.
“In the near future, we would like to extend the service to all universities, polytechnics and community colleges nationwide” said Ismail.
Mohamed Haziq expressed his gratitude to UKM’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and SME Development (CESMED) for without the centre, Ismail and him wouldn’t have survived in the industry.
“The centre has always given us the platform to market our services at any of its activities within the campus. We usually set up our booth and distribute pamphlets and brochures to the students.
“This is one way we interact with our potential buddy and customers, besides using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,” Mohamed Haziq said.
Since its launch in 2015, Jom Tumpang has registered more than 800 journeys.
Now, the service is widely used by not only UKM students, but its staff and lecturers due to the convenience offered.
The application is also available on Playstore and Appstore.