RideShare

Inspiration

Looking at the world around us, we see that there are many problems. Despite our best efforts, the harsh truth is that no matter how much try, we can only do so much to help the environment on our own. The only way to create a large impact is if we all collaborate together to do something that can actually benefit the world. Climate change is a huge problem, and if we all work together we can truly have a large impact on the world. This idea of collaboration is what led me to create this application to help people work together and save the world.

What it does

This app is essentially a carpool platform where people can connect to other people going on their own trips. This has the capacity of reducing pollution and our collective carbon footprint. In the app, after making an account, ‘drivers’ can input their starting points and destinations and upload it to the app. ‘Riders’ then input their destination points and compare it with the different routes offered by the different ‘drivers’. Upon choosing the most viable path for them, they would then input a pickup point that is subject to approval from the the ‘drivers’. After approval, the two people can connect with each other using contact information outlined in their profiles. This will allow them to successfully carpool together!

How I built it

I built the app using Python and Tkinter for the frontend and SQLite for the backend. I made extensive use of the Google Maps API to get real-time data on paths and locations.

Challenges we ran into

Working as a solo developer, I had to do everything myself, and given how many submodules had to be developed to get the app to work, it was certainly a daunting task. At the same time, I also had other commitments in the week so it was difficult to find time for the project. However, I persevered and finally came up with a final prototype that I am proud of!

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I am particularly happy about how I managed to get all the submodules working and integrating them all properly. If this had not been done effectively, the app would not have worked the way it has!

What we learned

I learnt how important it is to work in a team, as it can be really stressful if you do all the work yourself. This experience really taught me the value of collaboration, but at the same time it also showed how much you can actually achieve if you put your mind to it.

What's next for RideShare

I now want to integrate an in-platform payment system with credits to allow everything to occur seamlessly. At the same time, I also want to make the app more robust and user friendly than it already is to ensure the best user experience possible.

Built With

• google-maps
• python
• sqlite
• tkinter