Duber

Duber is a ride-sharing app where users can reduce CO₂ and traffic. Riders earn Chlorophyll to support Duke Forest reforestation or earn succulent from Duke garden and fresh produce from Duke farm.

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Duber: Sustainable Ridesharing for the Duke Community

Inspiration

We were inspired by the growing need for sustainable transportation solutions on Duke's campus. Many students make similar trips to classes, events, or off-campus locations, yet they often travel individually. We saw an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions while building community through ridesharing.

What It Does

Duber is a sustainable ridesharing platform specifically designed for the Duke community. It features:

  • Real-time ride matching between drivers and riders
  • Points-based reward system that incentivizes sustainable choices
  • Carbon emission tracking that shows users their environmental impact
  • Social features that encourage carpooling and community building

The points system rewards users for:

  • Completing shared rides
  • Reducing carbon emissions
  • Contributing to campus sustainability initiatives, such as planting trees

How We Built It

  • Django backend for robust user authentication and data management
  • PostgreSQL database for reliable data storage
  • Google Maps API for accurate distance calculation and routing
  • Bootstrap 5 for responsive frontend design
  • Real-time email notifications using Gmail SMTP

Challenges We Ran Into

  • Implementing accurate carbon emission calculations based on ride distances
  • Creating a fair and engaging points system that rewards both drivers and riders
  • Ensuring secure user authentication and data privacy
  • Optimizing the ride-matching algorithm for the Duke community's specific needs

Accomplishments That We're Proud Of

  • Built a comprehensive points system that tracks both individual rides and environmental impact
  • Successfully implemented carbon emission tracking (saves approximately 0.404 kg CO₂ per mile)
  • Created an intuitive interface for redeeming sustainability rewards
  • Developed a system that has already facilitated numerous shared rides on campus

What We Learned

  • The importance of user feedback in designing reward systems
  • How to integrate multiple APIs (Google Maps, email services) effectively
  • The complexities of building a fair point distribution system
  • The challenges of encouraging sustainable behavior through gamification

What's Next for Duber

  1. Expanding to include more sustainability initiatives
  2. Adding real-time ride tracking features
  3. Implementing a mobile app version
  4. Creating partnerships with local businesses for additional rewards
  5. Integrating with Duke's transportation system
  6. Adding more environmental impact metrics and achievements
  7. Expanding to other universities while maintaining our community-focused approach

Our vision is to make Duber not just a ridesharing platform, but a catalyst for sustainable transportation habits in university communities.

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