Want to know when the next bus is arriving? Just look to your mobile phone.

For the first time in Singapore, SBS Transit commuters who are also SingTel Mobile subscribers will be able to get real-time bus arrival information on their mobile phones.  The service, called iris NextBus on SMS, is set to revolutionise public transport travel here.

iris - an acronym for ‘Intelligent Route Information System’ - offers bus arrival times on a real time basis.  Already available on Internet and GPRS, iris NextBus is now available via SMS.  This is how it works - commuters key in: <Bus stop number> space <Bus service number> and send it via text message to the shortcode number 74744.  A return SMS will tell them when the next bus - as well as the subsequent bus - will arrive.  Each SMS query costs five cents in addition to the charge for the SMS. 

Mr Gan Juay Kiat, Chief Operating Officer of SBS Transit, said: "With the iris NextBus SMS service, our customers will now know when their bus will arrive in real time.  Uncertainty will be a thing of the past.  Commuters need only key in 74744 and they will be able to find out what time the next bus is due to arrive.  This way, they can better plan their journeys and better utilise their time."