Enhancing public transport in Rwanda using IoT for improved services at bus stops and bus stations

Abstract

As cities develop, the public transport system becomes challenging as the number of people who need to move from one place to another increase. Timeliness, availability, convenience, and flexible payment modalities become important aspects of public transport services. In Rwanda, many people use public transport, especially in the city of Kigali. However, it is common to experience poor services such as waiting for the bus for a very long time at the bus stop or bus station. Using IoT-based solutions, existing issues in public transport services mainly at bus stops and bus stations can be resolved. Passengers can get information that allows them to avoid spending much time waiting for the next bus in a long queue. In line with Rwanda’s vision to develop smart cities and use digital technologies to improve services, during our study, we developed an internet of things (IoT) based solution to help passengers have information about buses while waiting at the bus stop or bus station. The solution is composed of three main parts including a web application, an IoT module, and a database. Passengers log in to the application and search for information about the next bus on the route. The proximity sensors deployed in buses, cameras at the bus stops and bus stations, Raspberry Pi, and wireless access point components, all together form the IoT module that gathers data about the bus. The database contains the collected data which is used to communicate to passengers the information about buses via the e-transport web platform. The passenger logs in to his account on the e-transport using a username and a password through a smartphone or a computer and then gets access to a dashboard that displays the plate numbers of buses on the route he wants to use, the locations of buses, the number of passengers on board, the available seats in each bus, and estimated time of arrival depending on where he wants to take the bus from. The same information is displayed on screens at bus stop or bus station. As buses pass by different bus stops and bus stations, the collected data from different sources is consolidated to inform passengers about the location, seats availability, and time for the bus to reach the next bus stop or station. The camera took pictures of the bus, the Raspberry Pi verified and validate the bus plate number from the database, similarly, the sensors in the bus collected data on free seats, and the information was used to communicate to the passengers through the web application about the location seat availability, as well as time of the next bus. The designed IoT-based prototype solution can contribute to improving services in public bus transport in Rwanda, by helping passengers not waste time waiting for buses while not knowing when they are coming. It will help passengers to plan their travel journeys and get a chance to choose to take a bus that has some seats available. Further studies should consider the potential to support bus operators and assess case for sustainable implementation of the designed IoT-based solution to improve public bus transport in

Rwanda.