Citimasta develops Community traffic App for Kampala

By Redpepper team

A team of young people in Kampala have rolled out a community traffic App that they helped to develop with aim of solving the annoying traffic jam in Uganda’s capital city.

After 3 months of its launch is doing wonders according to customers we managed to talk to.

Its easy to download on play store and gives you 7 days of free trial without paying a coin.

Once its downloaded on phone, you’re good to go by entering your preferred destination.

Samuel Kwesiga, Chief Technical Officer Citimasta says the Community Traffic App gives the best 3 roads with less traffic using traffic colors, green, blue and red. Green being the best option shows the shortest route and estimates time you will take.

Blue color is the average or second best option and red has more traffic. The user chooses which route.

” Every two minutes the Community Traffic App updates the user through its voice components. It gives quickest options , if there is a blockage or lock down on road it gives you options”.

Kwesiga says the App keeps checking your route and gives props. It advises you all the time.

Miriam Busigye, the Business Manager says the Community Traffic App is helping customers to minimise on fuel and time lost on the road.

A customer needs Mbs on his/her phone. You can pay subscription for weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual.

Busigye says they are giving the best value for each shilling paid.

” You pay shs 1500 per week , shs 5,000 per month, shs 19,000 per quarter and shs 54,000 annually “.

Busigye says after 7 days of trial , the App asks you to subscribe using mobile money (mtn and airtel).

James Kabanda says the Community Traffic App has helped him to stop guessing on routes to be used.

” When am leaving point A to B , the App tells me what to expect”.

Kabanda says the Community Traffic App draws the map for the route and warns me on any changes.

Other features

Samuel Kwesiga says a user can post accidents or blockades on the road.

Kwesiga says you can use phone camera or directly use the App to take a picture and caption it.

The management of Citimasta will help you monitor your fleet of cars through tracking , keep information on income and expenditure.

Investors in the diaspora can monitor their cars very easily and it reduces on stress.

Ugandans are slowly embracing technology to solve their transport problems.

Police traffic chief Charles Ssebambulidde said by telephone,” it is a good concept but I cannot give a detailed comment because I need to have the technical knowledge of how it works from experts.”

Other countries are adopting technologies to solve problem of traffic jams, in India, “over 200 entrepreneurs are venturing to create more access, sustainable mobility models and a more user-friendly experience”, a research sponsored by the National Geographic says.Apps like Shuttle, Cityflo, ZipGo, and olaShuttle operate in huge cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore and they” allow passengers to book a ride and be assured of a seat and of timely arrival and departure”. Another App called Ridlr provides “real time traffic information. The App also allows something previously unavailable in India – buying a ticket for public transport online”. Traffic congestion has drastic problems and in France ” time wasted on traffic costs drivers an average of 3.3 billion euros annually “. In the US, ” traffic congestion alone accounts for an extra 25 billion kilograms of CO2 emissions “. Digital cities are the thing in the West with egacities of tens of millions of people with Communication and Information Technologies CIT giants being forced in 2005 ” to launch an all-out campaign to win over cities” and launched in San Fransisco, Amsterdam, and Seoul. “In terms of recurring traffic jams, for example, difite tools like Waze promise to help drivers ” outsmart traffic” while Citymapper pursues the broad ambition of “making the cities usable.”