MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name

goEASY Prepaid System

One-line solution summary.

goEASY Prepaid System allows its users to pay for any public transport service in the country with one electronic card.

Elevator pitch

What is your solution?

The system is a public transport prepaid system which uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Each public transport user will register for the system and be given an RFID card. The card will be linked to their prepaid account which they can top up using pay-now which is an online payment platform which makes it easier to pay using every payment method available in the country. Users can then use their cards to pay for the transport fees just by taping on the reader mounted on any public transport service and money is automatically deducted from their accounts. This allows access to any public transport service using the same card, without needing cash on hand. The system also has a feature whereby users can lock their cards in case they are stolen so that the card will not work whenever it is tapped to the reader in the bus. The system has electronic logs that allow for easier forensic auditing. Lastly the system is a hybrid system such that a user only requires one card to pay for any public transport facility in the country.

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

I intend to digitize the public transport sector in Zimbabwe so as to conserve cash. This is in line with the digital transformation core to boosting Zimbabwe's economy and improving services. Another problem I intend to solve is long and slow moving queues and the inconvenience of just having to use cash for public transport payment in Zimbabwe. The public transport payment system in Zimbabwe is in the form of cash which is inconvenient as 90% of the population in Zimbabwe use mobile money in the form of Eco-cash, One-money and Tele-cash which are the mobile platforms available in the country. From these, 55% use public transport on a daily basis. I intend to solve this by developing a prepaid system whereby users just tap and go and money is automatically deducted from their accounts without having them to use cash. Another problem I intend to solve is long and slow moving queues as the cash transaction takes long to verify and this leads to learners and workers arriving late to school or work places. The aged and those with pre-existing conditions end up being affected by the long queues. In addition another problem I am trying to solve is in the event of an accident it is easy to know who exactly was on the bus as the system keeps logs of everyone who used a certain bus as well as address lack of audit in the event of an accident.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

My solution targets all the 55% public transport users in Zimbabwe. Public transport users range from learners, workers and the rest of the population on their day to day tasks. They are under-served due to the slow moving long queues caused by the time it takes to verify cash transactions and also giving or finding change makes the process even slower. The users are also under-served as many of them have money in the form of electronic money and not hard cash. Lastly in cases of an accident it is difficult to know who was on the bus as there are no logs. My solution addresses slow moving queues as the tap and go transaction is faster and also eliminates the need to pay using cash. The system also keeps logs of everyone who boards the bus in case there is an accident or mishap its easier for authorities to get details of who was on the bus and inform relatives.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

I was recently a student at the University of Zimbabwe and I used public transport to go to school with my peers. We faced mainly two challenges. Firstly the slow moving queues especially when we were rushing for lectures to school and also sometimes rushing for an exam as it takes time for the bus conductors to verify cash payments. Secondly, we also faced the challenge of not having enough cash so we ended up using our electronic money to buy cash at a higher levy so that we have transport money. I have done research with my my peers, mostly university students, high school students family members and other public transport users and they also face the same problem i was facing with my friends and they encouraged me to develop such a system as it would be convenient for them to use.

It is with this in mind that I decided to come up with this solution which I am confident will solve this perennial problem.

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Other: Addressing an unmet social, environmental, or economic need not covered in the four dimensions above

What is the unmet need that your solution tried to address? Why is it important?

The need to ensure that the transacting public uses their electronic money for public transport payment instead of cash. This is important as most public transport users have money in the form of e-money and not hard cash so this system will be very convenient for them to use.

The need to have faster methods of public transport payment. One of the causes of having long and slow moving queues is the slow cash payment verification. With this system payment is instant and will make queues move much faster. The need to expedite the payment verification process. The RFID based prepaid system is instant and will eradicate existing long queues thus saving the general public time. This is of paramount importance since every second or minute saved can be translated to productivity and productivity for each and every economic sector contributes to the nation's GDP.

The need to conserve the environment because the longer the public stays in queues, the more the environment can be polluted.e.g. the tendency by people to buy food to eat and throwing litter everywhere instead of bins provided as well a reduction of noise pollution.

Our solution's stage of development:

Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution—in other words, what have you accomplished to date?

The project is still at prototype stage and has not been tested or deployed. I am still undergoing the testing phase. I have developed the prepaid system where users can register and top up their cards. Users can also be able to lock their cards in cases they are stolen. I have also designed the micro-controllers which will be responsible for the tap and go which consist of the RFID reader.

Where our solution team is headquartered or located:

Harare, Zimbabwe

Team Lead:

Mike Takudzwa Nyandoro