TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
ITB students create app to ease travel, win Hackathon contest
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Vehicles sit in traffic on Jl. Jenderal MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta on May 12, 2016. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
F
ive students from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) created a smartphone app aimed at easing travel and reducing traffic congestion by improving public transportation services.
Dubbed as the Smart Passenger-Driver Monitoring System, the app earned them victory at the 2017 Ericsson Smartnovation Indonesia Hackathon, which was held at the Pullman Hotel, Central Jakarta, from May 22 to 23.
The five ITB students—Atika Rahmawati Yuliantoputri, Erick Chandra, Fachriyan Husaini, Mahardhika Adjie Kurniya and Rahmadi Rikki S.—are all either electrical engineering or informatics majors and competed among a pool of 60 students from other universities. They were awarded a Rp 50 million (US$3,756) prize and an internship opportunity at Ericsson Indonesia.
Read also: Is Apple ditching the iPad mini?
Atika explained to tempo.co that the app was the answer to problems that are often faced by public transportation users, such as unpredictable seating capacity, inconsistent fees and safety.
Hence, the app, which is made for iOS and Android, is used to connect the driver and the passenger in order to overcome common transportation problems. “It’s an app that helps public transportation drivers to compete with online transportation drivers,” Atika said.
In the app, users are presented with a selection of public transportation options, including Metro Mini minibus, angkot (public minivan), Kopaja bus and other public transportation options lacking online services. If they choose Kopaja, for instance, they will be guided to a map that shows the locations of the buses. They will also be informed of the license plate number and estimated price of a selected bus.
Meanwhile, the drivers will get notified about the estimated time of their passengers’ arrival.
“[…] The driver will also be informed about where the potential passengers are located, so they don’t need to wait for them,” she said. (wir/asw)
