Inter-Act UD 2019

The bus services in most cities are the most well-spread mode of public transport. Apart from being economical they also reduce the number of private vehicles by being an alternative, and in turn are more environment friendly.

Then why are more people not using them? Why do people prefer private services, even as they are more expensive and their reliability questionable?

The Brief: To design an Effective method for independently using the public transport (buses) that considers the ease of boarding the correct bus and paying conveniently for the service availed.

There are solutions to these issues, like human attendants or fixed-denomination cash payments, but why have they not found widespread use? Many of these are hacks rather than actual solutions.

Rahi is a unified system for payment and navigation, designed to be easy to use and with a short learning curve.

Use the kiosk to know which route to take and which bus to board, carry your Rahi e-pass, and simply enter the bus. The scanner in the doorways of the bus will auto-record your boarding and de-boarding, and deduct the ticket amount from your e-pass.

If you prefer a ticket, you can buy one either at the kiosk or from the bus attendant. This ticket is valid till your final stop and carries information to guide you. In case of a bus switch, it also has information for the next stage in the journey.

The Rahi mobile app works on the same system as the interface, allowing you to recharge your card, buy tickets, and navigate through the system. The app is also connected to the bus system, notifying you in time before your destination arrives.

Paperless travel, user-friendly navigation, and a holistic approach to the way people travel: Rahi aims to be a system that makes public transport easier, reliable and trustworthy; for a more sustainable future.

Mini Challenge 2

-        The bus system is complex in itself, with little to no resources for first-timers to understand it

-        Route planning (new routes) is difficult for most routes, even for regular travellers

-        The language barrier is prominent, and in some cases even being able to read the local language is required to navigate buses

-        Payment is a hassle, with the conductors not having enough cash for change

The initial direction of the theme, starting from socio-cultural challenges of today, was a focus on trust as an issue for users. The topics went from banking and medical services to e-commerce in the way people handle trust.

A major part of the secondary research entailed talking to bus service users and those who don’t use it, and understanding their reasons for the same. Some of the pain points were verified outright, like the issue about understanding the system and its smaller conditions, the currency change issue and the language barrier.