High time transport sector adopts hi-tech systems
BOARDING public transport in Zimbabwe means digging into pockets for coins and notes and figuring out the proper fare or fidgeting while the person besides you does the same.
Delays, frustration and even pick-pocketing becomes a norm.
The re-introduction of conventional buses by Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco), which has been met with a lot of enthusiasm, will mean that there will be demand for efficient and reliable service, reminiscent of the days of old. But the terrain has changed slightly: there are more people to be moved, there are more suburbs, there is more competition from commuter omnibuses and even private cars and there is more traffic to negotiate between city and suburb.
Against this background, what if we could use the principles and the technology that made, say Uber, great, and apply them to our urban public transport systems? Could we bring order to the chaos, and improve the lives of millions of commuters?
How about Zupco adopting hi-tech systems and other innovations to make it reliable, efficient and time conscious?
There is also the need for better time management, which can be solved through the use of geo-locating apps, which shows where buses could be positioned on a particular route. The emergence of the smartphone has opened the window of opportunities for support structures as well. For example, Mr Chimusoro said they regularly update their customers through social media.
“We now have a customer base, which we constantly give updates through our WhatsApp groups on where they can find buses,” he said.
Smart-phone users can have an application installed and get real time updates on the bus nearest to their station and going to a preferred destination. By this, commuters will be able to be at their departure points on time, or get a peek into their waiting times, travelling times and costs. They can even pay through their mobile banks.
In time, these systems will expand to beyond just the major bus operators, into other forms of transport as well — potentially including trains, taxis, and other ride-sharing services.
With hundreds of bus and taxi routes weaving around the city, the fabric of our public transport system is highly elaborate, and often confusing for users. But by surfacing relevant, point-in-time information, commuters will be able to easily plan their commuting day.
And by analysing a user’s most common routes, proactive alerts can be streamed to targeted groups of commuters, to let them know of any issues that may affect their travel times on that day.
For public transport operators and city officials, this data can also be used to optimally plan new transport infrastructure, modify the schedules and improve service delivery to commuters.
Support and downstream industries can leverage on these smart-tech applications. The advertising industry, having gleaned data on which routes will be more popular with commuters, can use the trafficking data to work on advertising models. With improved technology, there is no need to paint adverts onto the vehicle, but rather install interchangeable billboard, that can be stripped and refitted at will.
Zimbabwe, for long touted for the leading literacy rate in Africa, can utilise universities like Nust and CUT to come up with applications that are suitable and applicable to our environment, probably having borrowed notes on the bus pass system in other countries, such as in South Africa.