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Durham Region Transit (DRT), in collaboration with our Durham College partners, proudly drove innovation forward as the focus of Durham College’s Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Information Technology (SEIT) inaugural Hackathon. The transit agency contributed expert judges, open data, and mentors to support the SEIT students throughout the event.
Over 24 hours, participants engaged in a marathon of creativity and collaboration, working in small teams to develop solutions aimed at enhancing the transit experience for both riders and operators.
The hackathon teams focused on three key areas:
- Real-Time bus information: Solutions to provide transit riders with up-to-date bus times, ensuring they can plan their journeys more efficiently.
- Operator communication: Tools for bus operators to notify operations of detours along routes, improving communication and service reliability.
- Bus capacity tracking: Systems to track how busy buses are, helping riders make informed decisions about their travel plans.
“The Hackathon not only empowered students to push the boundaries of their coding, design, and critical thinking skills, but it also demonstrated the potential for technology to improve our transit services and enhance the rider experience.” said Neil Harkness, Program Manager, Tech Solutions at DRT.
While some of these solutions are already available in existing DRT apps, the Hackathon provided an opportunity to refine and expand these features, demonstrating the potential for continuous improvement and innovation.
The winning team, Bus Buddy, impressed judges with their innovative solution that leverages data to provide real-time information on bus capacity, tracks bus routes, and offers up-to-the-minute updates for transit riders.
Participants have been invited to present their transit hack to the Transit Executive Committee.
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