KLAPOOL: A ridesharing application for commuters in Uganda

Abstract

Ridesharing (also known as carpooling, ride sourcing) is the sharing of car journeys by commuters (public and private) with similar travel needs, in-line destinations, and schedules to pool resources and thus split travel costs. By targeting the empty seats in private cars, ridesharing reduces each person’s travel costs such as fuel costs, tolls, and the stress of driving. It also reduces carbon emissions, traffic congestion on the roads, and the need for parking spaces. Authorities worldwide encourage the practice during periods of high pollution and high fuel prices. This Paper describes the Requirements, Design and Implementation details for a ridesharing application (KLAPOOL) following a Model-View-Control model. The application priorities safety and security of users through the use of features such as Panic Alerts, an extensive rating system as added features compared to available ridesharing applications in a Ugandan Context. Registered users will able to schedule trips, view a list of other users with similar journey routes as well as have the power to control who they travel with. The application will also help users track their journeys and estimate the journey costs.