What is it?
The team aims to develop a new stop system which consists only of the first and the last stop. In this new system, passengers will specify their destinations via either their smartphones or a system that would be installed at the departure points. With this system, passengers with close destination points will be assigned to the same bus. Thus, by having buses take fewer stops, the fuel consumption due to taking the stops will be reduced, as well as the traffic congestion caused by it, and it will be possible to reduce the number of buses in operation thanks to a well-designed system of logistics. Apart from these advantages, the team think that this system can prevent buses traveling empty or overcrowded. Thanks to the mobile app, disabled passengers will also have an easier time using the buses. By specifying their destinations to the mobile app via voice or text input, they will be alerted of the arrival at their destination easily. The driver, who knows a passenger on a wheelchair is about to get off the bus, will be able to help them.
Why?
The Chase team, formed by members of the community of high school social entrepreneurship community SUNPO, seeks to find a solution to the inefficiency of bus lines in Istanbul, a problem they noticed during their commutes using public transportation. According to their observations to this end, the buses contribute to traffic by spending too much time at the stops, prolong travel times and have an increased output of greenhouse gases. At the same time, buses are sometimes filled above capacity, and sometimes much under it. The Chase team posed the following question in order to improve the IETT bus system with an innovative solution: Can we develop a more efficient and fast public transport system by changing the stop system of the bus lines?