Student-designed app for bus stops
If you are one of the many students
frustrated with the sporadic
bus schedules, the NextStop app is
here to help.
Fanshawe computer programming analyst student Aaron McGowan, 21, developed the application after he got “sick and tired of waiting for the bus at the Adelaide and Oxford corner,” he said.
“(The bus) was never on time from my experience.”
He spoke to one of his instructors, Garth Santor and marketing and communications manager, Jeff Sage, in order to get the proper “political pull” with the city and the details on how to launch the app so it would be free to users while keeping the London Transit Commission from getting upset. Initially the app was for personal use but then they rebranded it to be called NextStop. McGowan is part of the Open Data movement, which encourages the release of government data to the public in a readable format that's free of copyright and patent.
Currently, users can download an app — which is not affiliated with the college — for the Blackberry and one for the iPhone will be released early September. Its aim is to take the information provided by the LTC but make it more accessible to users. Essentially, they can be at their bus stop and, using GPS, be able to see where the next bus is, which helps them estimate the wait-time.
The feedback so far has been positive. “So far users love it,” said McGowan. There have been only minor complaints regarding the use of Blackberry maps — users prefer Google Maps.
This is McGowan's first app and it was “easier to create than others have said.”
Fanshawe computer programming analyst student Aaron McGowan, 21, developed the application after he got “sick and tired of waiting for the bus at the Adelaide and Oxford corner,” he said.
“(The bus) was never on time from my experience.”
He spoke to one of his instructors, Garth Santor and marketing and communications manager, Jeff Sage, in order to get the proper “political pull” with the city and the details on how to launch the app so it would be free to users while keeping the London Transit Commission from getting upset. Initially the app was for personal use but then they rebranded it to be called NextStop. McGowan is part of the Open Data movement, which encourages the release of government data to the public in a readable format that's free of copyright and patent.
Currently, users can download an app — which is not affiliated with the college — for the Blackberry and one for the iPhone will be released early September. Its aim is to take the information provided by the LTC but make it more accessible to users. Essentially, they can be at their bus stop and, using GPS, be able to see where the next bus is, which helps them estimate the wait-time.
The feedback so far has been positive. “So far users love it,” said McGowan. There have been only minor complaints regarding the use of Blackberry maps — users prefer Google Maps.
This is McGowan's first app and it was “easier to create than others have said.”
