BTS

Inspiration

The purpose of this project is to create a more cost-effective transportation solution for the UCSC. Currently, the school pays $0.80 per student on the county shuttle, but only $0.20 per student on the UCSC campus shuttle. This project has the potential of reducing transportation expenditure by approximately 30%.

How it works

BTS is an iOS and Android application that will give the current location and route of all UCSC shuttles at any given moment. Its goal is to create a real-time application for rider that will find the closest bus stop and aid the rider in catching the earliest bus while still using the shortest route.

Challenges I ran into

Connects a mobile application to a fleet of buses. I created a real-time bus location map, identified bus routes, predicted schedules, and alerted students’ cell phones. Creating this system, especially in a school campus where wireless signals are often hampered, requires creative ways of sending data efficiently. I had to create my own system of encoding the locations of thirty-five buses into as many characters, a system that I devised while watching reruns of the Big Bang Theory.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

My first practical solution for the real world!