More than 180 take part in LTA youth hackathon
Photo: Ernest Chua/TODAY
SINGAPORE — The next time you are in the vicinity of an MRT station, you can volunteer to help someone in need get around the area, be it for their transit on public transport or getting home.
A group of participants of the youth hackathon organised by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) have come up with an app linking volunteers with those with disabilities travel.
Called #ComeRideWithMe, which won the Most Promising Transport App award today (April 19), it allows a user to set the start and end locations of their commute. A volunteer who signs up and is in the vicinity will be notified by the app that someone needs help.
The app contains information on where MRT station exits and bus stops are located, and notifications are activated through Global Positioning System (GPS) on smartphones.
One of the creators of the app, Mr Verdy Yong, 30, said his team came up with the idea after identifying gaps in the public transport infrastructure for the disabled.
For example, although the disabled can travel from one MRT station to another, some may have difficulties making their way back home.
“Our goal is to use our app to leverage on human connection to fill these gaps,” said Mr Yong.
One of the key challenges for the app to work is getting a sufficient pool of volunteers, he noted. His team is speaking to SG Cares, which has a network of about 40,000 volunteers.
Another entry in the youth hackathon was an app called Tell Me When, which won the Best App for Special Needs. The app, created by a duo, gives a visually-impaired person a call when the bus he is waiting for is arriving. The bus driver is also notified about the special needs passenger waiting at the specific bus stop.
“At this moment if you are a blind person ... and there is no one else at the bus stop, you’ve no way of flagging a bus down,” said app creator and software engineer Sherwyn Goh.
The app will also inform the user when is time for them to alight by giving them a phone call. Another function of the app also allows caregivers to track the location of the user.
“This will be done at regular intervals so that caregivers can check on their (loved ones), especially elderly parents suffering from dementia — this makes it very easy to track them without having to put any extra device on them,” said Mr Goh, 27.
The awards at the hackathon, which drew more than 180 youths aged between 17 and 30 years over a four-day period at the Devan Nair Institute, were given out by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Participants designed apps pertaining to three transport areas: Those enhancing the overall public transport experience for commuters, easing the commute for those with special needs and encouraging the use of more sustainable modes of transport, such as cycling and walking.
Participants also learnt under tech gurus such as NCS as well as entrepreneurs from tech start-ups, helping them to shape their projects from conceptualisation to implementation.
