A month ago, Malaysia’s (and to a certain extent, Singapore’s) startup scene was excited over the announcement of Joel Neoh’s latest venture, KFit. KFit is a platform that provides fitness-driven members with access to the best fitness studios, classes and gyms in a city — all of this is made possible with just a monthly membership.
You might be familiar with Joel: as the founder of Groupon Malaysia, he is prominent among the startup community for having an eye for the next big thing. His involvement with KFit gave the future of the fitness industry a huge vote of confidence.
But at the same time that KFit was launched, another company in Singapore was already quietly signing up users for a similar fitness model. Enter Passport, a Singapore app launched in February that gives you access to all the fitness related activities around the island for a monthly fee.
The gym sharing platform allows you to easily book unique classes, and gain access to workout sessions instantly through the app. It currently lists hundreds of available activities from martial arts, yoga, sports and alternatives to indoor cycling, gyms, pilates, spin and even futsal. It currently partners with more than 40 gyms, and with 300 classes a week available via the platform, Passport is possibly the first of its kind in Singapore.
So how exactly does the pricing structure work? You can purchase credits or slots from Passport — these slots give you access to the different classes. The cheapest package comes at S$88, which gives you access to 5 classes monthly. There is also a 30-day free trial (10 slots per month) which gives you a decent excuse to try out the app.
One thing that differentiates Passport from KFit is that the former follows an on demand model: you pay for what you use, instead of forking out a fixed monthly subscription fee. Paying for what you use is definitely something I personally appreciate. Would I use it? A resounding yes, simply because of the free trial (I know, I know).
Would I be willing to pay a monthly fee thereafter? Compared to what gyms usually charge, S$88 might be too high for regular gym goers. A point of reference would be Singapore’s California Fitness, which charges S$89 per month for all day, everyday access to one of its gyms.
What do you think?
