UniRoute

Inspiration

Isaac Park, a freshman from South Korea, noticed that back home they had super convenient all-in-one transportation apps, but when he came here, he realized there’s nothing like that. It was frustrating having to jump between different apps for shuttles, trains, and figuring out routes. That’s where the idea for UniRoute came from — a way to make commuting easier for university students by putting everything in one place.

What it does

UniRoute is designed to make students’ commutes smoother. Instead of juggling multiple apps, it combines shuttle and train info into one easy-to-use platform. The app shows shuttle times, connects you to train schedules, and helps you plan your trips so you don’t have to deal with delays or missed rides. It’s all about saving time and avoiding the headache of switching between different apps when you’re just trying to get around.

How we built it

We built UniRoute using Apple’s MapKit API, which let us integrate maps and transportation info into the app. As first-time hackers and newbies to mobile app development, we hit a lot of bumps along the way. Initially, we tried using Google Maps API, but after spending hours trying to fix dependency issues, we just couldn’t get it to work. In the end, we switched to Apple’s API, which worked out much better for us.

Challenges we ran into

Being new to this, pretty much everything was a challenge! We had trouble setting up the right dependencies and figuring out how to handle complex route calculations. We ended up using static data in the app just to get something working in time, but that helped us push through and build a prototype.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Despite all the challenges, we’re really proud that we made an actual working app. It might not be perfect yet, but we learned a ton, and getting the app up and running, even with static data, feels like a big win for us as first-time hackers.

What we learned

We learned a lot about mobile app development, especially how hard it can be to combine different transportation data into one place. We also got a much better handle on how APIs like Apple’s MapKit work and how to manage time under pressure.

What's next for UniRoute

Next up, we want to actually implement the algorithms we had planned for real-time data and fully functional route calculations. We’ll also refine the app’s design and make it more user-friendly, so students can rely on it to make their commutes easier every day. The dream will be to actually post the app on App Store and create impacts for many students' life.