An innovative SMS-based information service for public transport has won a group of postgraduates from the University of Cape Town international recognition in the recent Microsoft Imagine Cup.
Team Smile's award winning project is called WhereIsMyShuttle. By installing GPRS devices on buses, the system offers commuters real-time tracking and scheduling services via their cellphones.
Commuters can use the SMS service or the internet to enquire about estimated arrival times or any other tracking information regarding a specific bus.
The system also has notification services, providing automated notification of abnormal bus activities, such as late arrival times or detours from designated routes.
The initial idea for the project was developed in 2007 by team members Devin de Vries, Christopher King, Mohammad Nabeel Nazeer and Nadeem Isaacs, as part an Honours course practical project.
Having identified the absence of bus schedules as a key factor preventing middle and upper income groups from using public transport, the team decided to use mobile technology to develop a modern, integrated information system that would address this.
"Public transport in South Africa is not very good, so we were looking for ways to improve it," says team leader De Vries.
WhereIsMyShuttle was first piloted on UCT's student transportation service, the Jammie Shuttle.
Upon their return to South Africa, Team Smile will meet with national and provincial transportation companies to discuss ways in which their product could be implemented around the country.
"Should we implement our system successfully in South Africa, it could serve as the template transportation solution for many African nations," says De Vries.
