GoforCar

Inspiration

Ever stuck at the traffic when going to Yilan on a Friday evening or Saturday morning? Max capacity for cars to go through Hsueshan Tunnel is 2,400/hr and the average weekend car flow is 71,000 cars. There have been a wide range of discussions on how to tackle the issues from providing instant monitoring to leveraging the public transportation to reduce the total car flow. Are there any other options we can leverage to reduce some pains and time spent waiting on the road? Are there more efficient ways of managing the total car flow and optimizing the experiences of passengers in various purposes?

What it does

We think the root cause of this problem is the distance between cars is too long. While research shows that auto-pilotted cars can be used to reduce safety concerns when driving in an increased speed. Before we really have an auto-pilotted eCar system in place, GoforCar team focuses on utilizing the current technology to provide the best integrated option and relieving the traffic jam during the peak hour. To encourage people to use eCar, there is BUS & eCar ONLY LANE during peak hour to ensure that you can make it within 70 minutes from Yilan to Taipei or Taipei to Yilan.

How I built it

GoforCar team provides you the easiest way to rent a car from Taipei to Yilan. There are hundreds of eCar stations in Yilan County so that you can get on a eCar in 5 minutes with the “Reserve eCar” function. We use QR code to rent, verify and return the eCar to simplify the whole process. By using “Carpool” function, you can share your eCar with others to save your rental. Besides, to avoid high-occupancy vehicle lane policy in peak hour, the “Carpool” is another alternative for drivers to choose.

Challenges I ran into

Before getting the eCar solution, there are lots of great ideas during discussion. The thing is how to narrow down the scope and figure out which is the best. While research shows that auto-pilotted cars can be used to reduce safety concerns when driving in an increased speed. Before we really have an auto-pilotted eCar system in place, GoforCar team focuses on utilizing the current technology to provide the best integrated option and relieving the traffic jam during the peak hour. Besides, the other challenge we have met is how to simplify the process in reserving an eCar and carpooling with others. "GoforCar" team member came up with QR code from various solutions to make sure users only have to provide few information to get their eCar easily.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Leverage the most current information technology to reach the goals of maximizing car flow and removing the bottleneck of total capacity allowance. We did an Efficiency Assessment showing there’s 27.48% improvement on the car flow if passengers on regular cars switch to eCar solution and go on carpool lane(eCar and bus only) with the buses.

What I learned

GoforCar team work together to discuss the project scope in the early beginning, every member contribute their creativity and capability to make this project happen. With the same belief to bring eCar to resolve the Hsuehshan tunnel issues, GoforCar is definitely the best team!

What's next for GoforCar

We are going to partner with other transportation and carpooling services such as Uber and Tripda to expand our eCar services. We believe this partnership can secure the eCar supplies without shortage. For other transportation and carpooling services, they can increase their customer base. Moreover, we will continue to work for auto-pilotted eCar system in the near future.