Xerox Research Centre India (XRCI) is piloting the Go Bengaluru app - a multimodal solution that integrates all the available transit methods of getting around the city. The app aims at improving the quality of intra-city travel by offering combinations of cheaper, faster and more sustainable travel options to commuters with the convenience of a smart app.
According to Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) 2011 report, private vehicles in Bengaluru moved at the speed of 23 Kmph. In five years, the speed has come down to 18 Kmph (as per latest Ola data), lower than Mumbai and Delhi. Bengaluru has a rapidly growing population and the need for an effective Urban Mobility solution is clearly evident in this city.
“The Go Bengaluru app captures the universe of transportation options (both public and private) and computes the shortest and most sustainable way to get to your destination” said David Cummins, senior vice president Mobility Solutions, Xerox. “The Go Bengaluru app pilot builds on the Go LA and Go Denver pilots currently underway in the U.S.”
Xerox Research Center India used Xerox innovation to solve the local challenges and built upon the solution designed for LA and Denver by localizing the app to work in an Indian city. Go Bengaluru offers local travel options like auto rickshaws. The key challenge was limited availability of public transport data.
Xerox Research Center India worked toward data cleaning and validation, both manual and automated, that involved verifying geographic location of bus stops, converting latest bus route information into a format that app could use, integrating metro timetables with other models of transport to provide multimodal options that are more extensive and accurate than any other data sources for Bengaluru. They also used automation techniques to verify quality of routes it suggests to the user and improve accuracy of time estimates it provides.
“There are individual apps for public transit, car sharing and other transportation options, but we wanted to leverage technology to go beyond a single mode of transportation and provide a broad range of mobility options to fellow citizens and reduce traffic congestion in our cities” said Manish Gupta, Xerox vice president and Xerox Research Centre India director. “The Go Bengaluru app captures the array of options in a hyper-local way, mixing and matching both public and private transportation options. Beyond the seamless travel experience for citizens, Go Bengaluru will help the city collect important information they can use to advance their transportation systems,” said Gupta
Go Bengaluru is also the first app aggregator to include Bengaluru’s new metro line along with BMTC bus services.
