Sunday, December 25, 2016

Give a smoother bus ride

There are complaints all over the world that bus rides are jerky. This is largely caused by bad driving habits of the bus drivers. The drivers can drive more carefully and reduce the jerks in the bus.

I am developing a solution. It starts with a device that can measure the jerks in the bus. This uses the accelerometer that is present in each mobile phone. My prototype solution uses a mobile app to measure the number of jerks during the bus journey. I am testing a special algorithm that will identify what is a bus jerk, based on the readings of the accelerometer.

The mobile app can be placed in each bus. It will report the number of jerks during the bus journey and send the results into a server.

A weekly report will be produced showing the performance of each driver based on the number of jerks per kilometer of the journey. A prize can be given to the drivers with the best performance.

There is another report to show the number of jerks for each bus service. This is to identify the routes that give the most bumpy rides. The route could be an important factor in contributing to the bumpiness.

The drivers with poor performance, i.e. highest jerks per km, can also be identified and given special training to improve their driving habits. Once the drivers are aware of their performance, they are likely to pay special attention to improve their performance.

In the worst cases, the drivers who refuse to improve their performance can be terminated from service.

If the prototype is proven successful, it is possible to develop a special device to be placed in each bus. It will count and show the number of jerks during the journey and can be viewed by the driver. The results are sent to the server at the end of each journey.

I do not know if such a system is already operating in other countries. I think that the problem of jerky buses is quite common, and that a practical solution will be welcome. Do you agree?


1 comment:

Unknown said...

Great idea Mr Tan. Wish you success.

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