Bus Uncle gives you bus timings in Singlish. His maker is only 24.

The heat in Singapore makes waiting outdoors unbearable. I whip out my phone to text Bus Uncle. Uncle replies really quickly, “Where are you? Which street lah, bus stop lah, or send me location also can.”

In Singapore, we call bus captains “Bus Uncle”. (Uncle is a respectful way of addressing an older man.) I send Bus Uncle my location and the bus number. He replies after a few seconds. “5 mins only.”

Wah, so fast reply me sia. “Thanks uncle!” But soon, I become impatient. “Still got how long ah, uncle?”

“Say hi to me I here already.” The bus pulls up.

The creole chatbot

Bus Uncle does not speak Standard English. He speaks Singapore’s national creole, Singlish, an amalgamation of languages spoken in the country.

Singaporeans may remember a popular sitcom, Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, about a contractor who wore yellow boots and sported a large mole. More notably, he spoke Singlish. The show ran for ten years, and despite its immense popularity, was criticized for its use of Singlish by Singapore’s then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in his 1999 National Day Rally speech. The show ended in 2007.

Nearly a decade after the show ended, a Singlish character has returned to the spotlight.

Bus Uncle is our friendly uncle in the neighborhood who drives a bus and informs users how long he will take to reach the bus stop. He currently services all the bus routes in Singapore. He responds with a mixture of patience and good-humored wit, and works hard after work hours to “upgrade” himself at “bus school” under his trainer, 24-year-old Abhilash Murthy.

Diligent, friendly, and grouchy Bus Uncle has struck a chord with Singaporeans.

Bus Uncle is a chatbot.

How to train your chatbot

Abhilash, Bus Uncle’s developer, studied Information Systems Management in the Singapore Management University. Bus Uncle is a side project; Abhilash works full-time as a software developer at TradeGecko, and doesn’t plan on starting up yet. “I thought of getting work experience first before starting something. For now, I’m looking at this as a side project. I’m fully focused on my current job.”

New tongue

Bus Uncle’s final exam