Tower Transit Singapore (TTS) debuted its signature scent today on a single bus of service 97 which runs from Jurong East to Marina Bay. The scent will be installed progressively over the month of March on 100 buses which will be deployed on trunk services 66, 97 and 106.

Taking a leaf from the retail industry’s practice of scent marketing, TTS commissioned AllSense, the company behind the distinctive Changi Airport and ION Orchard fragrances, to create a scent exclusive to TTS.

“Research has shown that pleasant scents can enhance moods. Some scents also help to counter symptoms of motion sickness. Our hope is that as you step out of the humidity onto a Tower Transit bus, the scent will diffuse weariness from your commute, relax you, and make your journey more pleasant,” said Glenn Lim, Tower Transit’s Group Communications Director.

A three-month live trial was conducted from July to September 2016 on 18 TTS buses using a scent from AllSense’s scent library. The trial prompted positive responses from passengers including “On board @towertransitSG bus 143 now and it smells soooo good!” and “We did not want to leave the bus! Smelt great!”

TTS and AllSense then spent two months developing a unique scent. “Our concept was to bring a sense of freshness and greenery into an otherwise enclosed bus. We also thought about what journeys entail, and how to create an environment that recharges the passenger on his or her way to their destination,” said Terry Jacboson, Founder and CEO of AllSense.

The result is a scent that opens with refreshing top notes of fresh grass, lemon and orange, overlaying floral and peppermint notes, with a foundation of ylang and sandalwood. There are plans for the scent to be used in the creation of lifestyle products related to the notion of journeys and that one might find in a ‘travel survival kit’. Production has already begun on a small batch of TTS-scented hand sanitizers which will be given out on board selected services towards the end of March.

“We see ourselves as being in the business of moving people, not buses. Both involve the operation of buses, but the difference is that everything we do is designed around the passenger, not the vehicle. It’s a fundamental shift in thinking which recognises that bus services are in some ways a lifestyle offering. Soft touches like the TTS scent are aimed at redefining the customer experience on board a public bus,” said Glenn.