What is the problem you are trying to solve?
Developing countries often lack adequate transport infrastructure. While some areas see a high volume of passengers and goods moved, others are bypassed altogether by transit lines. And despite only 17% car ownership, Pakistan’s cities often face acute traffic jams and congestion, generating enormous amounts of pollution. Higher vehicle ownership is not sustainable. At the same time, spending billions on fixed-line mass transit projects is unaffordable and will cater to only a limited geographic area.
How does your idea help solve the problem?
Many private vehicles ply Pakistan’s streets while mostly empty. We are making transportation more efficient by allowing peer to peer sharing of extra space and seats through an app. We can aggregate and optimize vehicle routes to cater to demand more efficiently. Our Dynamic Transit Lines feature will cater to areas ignored by conventional public transport. Additionally, freight transport vehicles can use the app to provide additional intercity cargo space at low cost. This will enable farmers, for example, to bring their goods to market at lower cost and higher convenience.
What inspired you to do this?
It is often said that mobility is the single most important factor for an individual to escape poverty. I’ve seen people’s opportunities limited by the availability of transit routes that they can use. In some instances, commuters are spending up to 50% of their income just to reach work. On the other hand, road congestion is horrendous. Millions of hours and billions of rupees worth of fuel are wasted sitting in traffic, while most vehicles only use 50% of their space capacity. If these inefficiencies can be removed we could see unprecedented economic benefit for the developing world.
Bio
Hassam is a civil (transportation) engineer and a Silicon Valley-trained tech entrepreneur. He is a self-taught programmer who loves working with maps. Hassam was the youngest speaker at the Vienna Energy Forum, and has had extensive experience working with UNIDO and the startup ecosystem in Pakistan. He also mentors young Startups and is enthusiastic about working to improve the socio-economic condition of the developing world through leveraging technology.
