Lessen traffic woes, join the app challenge
THE NEXT BIG TRANSIT APP? The DOTC is looking to app developers for a new app to help motorists and commuters using its data. Screen shots from Waze, MMDA, and TrafficDito
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is looking to technology to help lessen the stress on motorists and commuters caused by traffic.
In a statement, DOTC spokesperson Michael Arthur Sagcal said the DOTC, along with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Cebu City government, would hold a competition to develop new applications using the database of the Philippine Transit Information Service (PTIS).
The Philippine Transit App Challenge will be a 3-month long contest — starting this month — to encourage app developers to use the PTIS database to help the public choose optimal routes for their travels at a particular time.
The PTIS began in 2011, becoming a two-year initiative to gather and organize data on buses, jeepneys, and trains in Metro Manila. To build the PTIS, the DOTC used GPS, or Global Positioning System technology, to pick up data on more than 900 bus, train, and jeepney routes. It also gathered fare information and transit times using the various transport types.
The data was then organized and analyzed by the DOTC and other concerned offices, including the MMDA, the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), and the Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC).
The development of applications using the data is the next step to offer commuters and motorists options to get to various parts of the metro. The apps will indicate the types of transportation and number of transfers that will be involved, as well as how much it will cost and how long it will presumably take to get to a particular destination.
While apps do exist to plot out data in real-time along Metro Manila, such as the MMDA app, TrafficDito and Waze, an app that provides reference information as well as transit options for personal situations would be welcome indeed.
Sagcal added, "Our next step is to make the PTIS accessible to the public. The intention has always been to use modern technology in empowering people to make well-informed decisions on their commute." - Rappler.com
