The initial name I had in mind for the app was “Bus Buzz”, but during the submission process, I realized that name was already taken. So I had to come up with a new one.
This is my very first app — it feels like my first “baby.” I wanted it to have a personal touch, something meaningful. Naturally, I thought about my son. I hoped to include a part of his name in the app so that one day he could proudly tell his friends, “My name is in that bus app — my Ah Pa built it!”
I started experimenting with different name combinations. I wanted something that included part of my son’s name and also clearly indicated it was a bus app. After trying out various options, one name stood out: ZheBus.
My son’s name is Yuzhe (宇哲), and interestingly, “zhe” (坐) also means “sit” in Hokkien. So when you combine “Zhe” and “Bus,” it subtly suggests “sit on the bus.” It felt like the perfect fit — meaningful, culturally relevant, and uniquely Singaporean. As a Hokkien family, the name just clicked.
And that’s how ZheBus was born.