Safe Travels

Inspiration

Many are focused on the current pandemic plaguing the world but in Trinidad and Tobago, we are facing a different crisis. Kidnappings, murders, and other criminal activities are part and parcel of the news cycle. Daily, we here learn of another young woman missing. Often these young women are going missing or taken advantage of in taxis both registered and unregistered. To aid in the fight against these rogue elements facing our nation, the idea for a mobile application was conceived.

What it does

The mobile application, which is available for both IOS and android, uses a database of registered taxi drivers and registered users. When entering the taxi the user will use the application to scan a QR code which would provide the driver's information to the user. The user will then select the driver if they choose to use this driver. The application will note that the user entered this driver's car and note the time and location as well. When the user exits the car the application will also note the time and location using Google Maps of the user's departure.

How we built it

Developing a full stack mobile application required the use of both frontend and backend design. With regards to the frontend, this side of the project was created using Expo and the framework React Native was used to design the user interface. To communicate with the database created in Microsoft Access, a web server was implemented using python at the backend. It must be noted, however, due to constraints including time and manpower, the entire frontend and backend designs were not finished.

Challenges we ran into

Creating the webserver proved most challenging, as none of us had prior experience creating a webserver.

What we learned

Learning about fostering cohesive teamwork was a major learning outcome. We also gained experience in webserver development.

What's next for Safe Travels

After introducing the application to Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean, and by extension the region also uses a similar transportation system, and thus the application can be introduced in the region.