No more chit-chat with NTU bus chatbot

By Xu Qi Yang

PHOTO: CHRISTY YIP

Students have not been able to use the NTU Bus Arrival chatbot since its creators graduated in August.

Launched in January, the chatbot had allowed students to check the arrival times of NTU campus buses, as well as Singapore Bus Service Transit bus services 179 and 199.

It was available on social media messaging services Telegram and Facebook Messenger.

Chatbot creators Yap Deep and Marcus Tee, both 23, decided to stop managing the chatbot after they found full-time jobs upon graduation.

Mr Tee, who graduated from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, is currently a pre-sales consultant at Microsoft, while Mr Yap works at Mediatek where he designs computer chips and circuits.

When asked the reason behind pulling the plug, Mr Yap, who graduated from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), said the chatbot required routine maintenance and updates to improve its accuracy and efficiency.

He added that they were not confident of performing routine maintenance outside of campus.

“Bus stops are increasing in number and we don’t want to screw up the timings since we’re not in school anymore,” said Mr Yap.

The official NTU bus arrival website (https://baseride.com/maps/public/ntu/) and mobile applications NTU Go!, NTU Bus and NTU Campus Bus are the remaining services used to check bus arrival timings.  

Currently, no one has shown interest in taking over the chatbot even though the link to the programme code is on the chatbot’s official Facebook page, said Mr Yap.

The chatbot’s programme code gives one access to tools and commands needed to operate it.

Last semester, Mr Tee approached the Students’ Union to enquire if the information technology committee would be willing to take over the chatbot.

But the committee was busy revamping other applications at that time and was unfamiliar with the chatbot’s coding language.

When interviewed by The Nanyang Chronicle, President of the Student’s Union Gan Rui Yun said that the Office of Housing and Auxiliary Services had already commissioned the existing NTU Campus bus app.

“There is no need for an app of duplicating function which may cause inaccuracies in information if uncoordinated,” added Gan.

This was sad news for the creators.

Mr Yap had hoped that someone could take over the chatbot, as many students relied on it for bus arrival times.

On average, the chatbot received 2,500 queries daily when it was in operation.

Second-year EEE student Gregory Yee misses the convenience of the chatbot.

“Having it on a messaging app was more convenient and interactive. It saved me the trouble of downloading another app,” said the 22-year-old.

Others miss the chatbot for its entertaining responses.

The chatbot could analyse emotions, identify pictures, and respond to queries in a conversational tone.

“Initially, I thought I was talking to a real person,” said Jasmine Lim, 20, a second-year student from the School of Social Sciences.

For Mr Yap and Mr Tee, creating and managing the chatbot was a fulfilling learning experience.

The duo, who had no programming knowledge before building the bot, had some parting advice for students.

“Don’t be daunted by the complexity of stuff that might not be related to your studies. Get your hands dirty when you still can. Master your field, but learn other stuff too,” said Mr Yap.

GRAPHIC: REYNARD ADRIANTO