Petaling Jaya has an eHailing van service called Kumpool

There’s always room for improvement when it comes to public transport. Despite having more LRT and MRT lines in the Klang Valley, connecting the last mile still remains a challenge. Now Petaling Jaya has a new public transport solution with the arrival of Kumpool (pronounced as kumpul). It’s a van-based eHailing service that covers over 120 stops in central Petaling Jaya and is now running for free for the first 10,000 rides.

Kumpool offers free 10,000 rides in Petaling Jaya

As shared by Bukit Gasing state assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran, Kumpool is offering rides to areas in Petaling Jaya for just RM1. He said there are stops near your house so you can hop on to make it to your destination without worrying about finding a carpark. At the moment, Kumpool is covering stops in Seksyen 1 to Seksyen 19 in Petaling Jaya and there are also several stops in SS2.

The Kumpool app is available on both Apple AppStore and Google PlayStore.

How does Kumpool work?

Unlike your typical car-based eHailing service like Grab, AirAsia Ride, MyCar or MULA, you can’t select the precise pickup or drop-off points. Since it is like a mini-bus service, you’ll have to select the preset stops that are shown on the map. You can perform a search or browse manually based on your current location. In a nutshell, this is a smarter “mini-bus” as it operates by on-demand booking from your smartphone.

Kumpool is a division of Causeway Link and they also operate in other areas in Johor Bahru and Subang Jaya. Besides rides, they do offer delivery service as well.

The signup process for Kumpool is fairly easy and all you’ll need is to verify your mobile number. You can start booking immediately by selecting your pick-up, drop-off, pickup-time and the number of passengers. The service is operational from 8.00am to 8.00pm daily and you can book for up to 10 people. Looking at the time selection, it appears to have a frequency of 20 minutes.

According to the FAQ, Kumpool only allows a single drop-off point and if you need to perform multiple pick-up and drop-off, you’ll have to book them separately. The app also allows you to suggest a stop and you can submit a request for their consideration. Users are reminded to be at the pick-up stop 5-10 minutes before the estimated arrival time so that you won’t delay the journey for other passengers on the same Kumpool vehicle. If you missed your ride, you’ll need to book again.

The FAQ also states that each passenger is entitled to one seat as long as it is empty. Unfortunately, Kumpool isn’t ready for people with disabilities as it is stated that they are unable to accommodate wheelchairs and baby strollers. Unlike regular bus service, you can’t just flag a Kumpool by the roadside as users must make a booking and scan their ticket upon boarding the vehicle. When you reach your stop, you can exit the vehicle without scanning your ticket.

In terms of payment, Kumpool accepts both cash and eWallet. On the app, there’s a Kumpool Wallet that’s powered by SenangPay. You can top-up with a minimum of RM5 and it accepts Visa, Master, online banking and eWallets such as Boost and Touch ‘n Go eWallet. When we try to book, there’s no charge due to the current free rides promo.

The FAQ states that there’s a possibility that your ride will pass your intended drop-off point and the stops may not be in sequence. Since each Kumpool ride accepts multiple ride bookings with different stops, it will optimise the trip to include as many passengers as possible who are travelling in the same direction.

Overall, this is an interesting community-based eHailing service that sits right between your typical eHailing and regular bus services. For RM1 per trip, it is affordable and having a pool of people travelling in a van is more efficient than having separate Grab bookings. Have you tried Kumpool? Let us know in the comments below.

You can learn more about Kumpool here.

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