Inspiration
We have an existing iOS and Android app - ETA Detroit - that allows users to plan their journey on public transit using publicly available information . When we saw the Alexa app competition we thought why not voice enable the ETA Detroit app. It's much quicker to ask Alexa as you're going out the door when the next bus is coming.
What it does
The ETA Detroit Alexa Skill allows you to ask Alexa when the next bus on your route is coming. The two major public transit companies in Detroit have real time APIs that provide the information we need. So by using Alexa as the interface we can allow users to get the next bus time for the bus stop nearest to their location on that route.
How I built it
We connected the DDOT and SMART real time APIs to Alexa using the Java and Python APIs
Challenges I ran into
Getting Alexa to answer to ETA Detroit, there were a number of language issues we had testing the skill.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
Completing the work.
What I learned
How to create an Alex skill.
What's next for ETA Detroit
Get the skill certified. Add more cities.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.