101 - Bus Tracker

Jutc tracking app

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Inspiration

Public transportation in Jamaica can be unpredictable—buses often arrive late, operate inconsistently, or don’t show up at all. Commuters have no real-time way to track routes or know which bus to take. This frustration inspired us to create BusTracker, an app designed to provide real-time tracking of JUTC buses, making travel more convenient and reliable

What it does

BusTracker helps users: ✅ See available buses near them
✅ Get real-time bus tracking on the map
✅ Find the best route by entering a destination
✅ Receive estimated arrival times and walking directions to bus stops

How we built it

  1. React Native & Expo- For cross-platform mobile development.
  2. Google Maps API - To display real-time locations and routes.
  3. Firebase Firestore - For real-time bus updates and cloud storage.
  4. FigmA - To design a clean, user-friendly UI.
  5. Node.js & Express (Planned for Future) - To support backend API integration. ## Challenges we ran into
  6. Accessing Real JUTC Data: Jamaica doesn’t provide public GTFS (Google Transit Feed Specification) data, so we had to create "dummy routes" for this demo.
  7. GPS Permissions & Location Updates: Ensuring smooth user location updates while keeping privacy concerns in mind.
  8. Map Rendering Issues: Adjusting how the map updates dynamically when buses move.
  9. Time Constraints: Developing a working prototype in such a short timeframe. ## Accomplishments that we're proud of -Putting in the effort to compete in a competition that I more likely won't win to get the experience and network with fellow programmers. ## What we learned
  10. How to Work with Firebase Firestore for real-time database updates.
  11. React Native Navigation to handle multiple screens smoothly.
  12. Optimizing Google Maps API for mobile-friendly rendering.
  13. Time Management & Problem-Solving under a strict deadline. ## What's next for Row 5 team number Randy Get JUTC’s official GTFS Data for real-time bus locations.
    Add AI-powered route optimization to suggest faster bus routes.
    Improve UI animations & user experience.
    Deploy a backend service to handle real-time updates at scale.

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