2PX3 - 3 minute pitch prompts

Welcome

Hi, my name is Georgia and I am part of a team of experts working towards improving the Hamilton transit system

The Student Experience

"Every commuter knows the pain of patiently waiting for the bus to class, only to watch it drive straight past because it's already crammed with students trying to get to campus on time."

The High Stakes

"For McMaster students, getting passed by can result in being late to a class, a midterm, or even a final exam."

The Information Gap

"Currently, there’s no way of knowing if a bus is full until it's already gone, and that lost time is critical. It’s time that could have been spent finding a different route or a ride to school if only the data was available sooner."

Static Frame, The Boarding Body, and The Suspension

"This was an issue—UNTIL NOW. We have developed a low-cost tracking system that works by measuring the weight of the passenger car. Now you might be asking yourself, how does this work? Think of a bus as being split up into 3 main pieces: the frame—which is unmoving—and the main body that passengers board onto, and this thing called a pneumatic air suspension system which sits in between them, but for this think of that suspension system as a balloon. As people board and weight is added, the balloon squishes and the bus gets measurably lower."

Real-Time capacity tracking

"Our solution is to install two devices, one on the frame, and one on the body; and continuously measure the height distance between them and use that information to calculate the weight on the bus, providing us with a reliable estimate of its capacity."

The Alternatives (Table)

"This implementation far exceeds current alternatives. Tracking only boardings doesn't tell you how long people stay on the bus, and installing and utilizing camera systems is not only costly but introduces serious privacy concerns."

Stakeholder Value

"Not only does our solution help commuters plan their trip, so they can sort out alternative transportation before it's too late. It also helps the Hamilton transit system by providing accurate data, so the city can save costs on unnecessary routes and redirect buses to high-need areas. It does all of this while protecting user privacy and building consumer trust in our transit system."

Impact

This solution will create a more equitable transit system for everyone’s individual needs. By tracking this simple data, “pass-bys” can become a thing of the past. Let's take the guesswork out of the commute—Because no mcmaster deserves to be left behind