## Project Challenge: Build on the existing services and data provided by SBB, to simplify the travel experience of the elderly.
SBB open data portal: http://data.sbb.ch/explore/?sort=modified
It provides access to SBB train timings, refreshments and other ammenities on train stations, and a lot more.
Train Travel can be overwhelming for the elderly.
Keeping track of connecting train numbers, correct boarding platforms, transfer times, etc can lead to confusion, sometimes resulting in unfortunate situations.
Technological Fears.
General resistance towards using phone applications, sometimes even smartphones, reduces the possibilities of using new technological solutions to address this problem.
Current SBB SMS service
SBB already has an SMS service called 'Procom' meant to provide assistance to hearing impaired passengers. You can read more about it here: http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/passengers-with-reduced-mobility/hearing-impaired.html
Curiosity led us to send an SMS to the provided number and see what sort of response we get. However, the response was bizzare to say the least. An outright 'Who are you?' made us feel like we had just prank texted someone who didn't take very kindly to it. Not exactly the kind of feeling one would want from an assistance service!
Our focus:
How do you simplify SBB train schedule information such that, the elderly have a clear understanding and therefore, a frictionless journey from home to destination?
Tourist Angels
http://www.touristangelapp.com/
Senior Service 24
https://seniorservice24.ch/
Digit
https://digit.co/
- Independence
- Convenience
- Personalized
Travel Angels is an SMS based, intelligent travel assistant, that provides personalized guidance to the elderly through every stage of their SBB journey, from home till destination.
- SBB could provide a yearly chat-bot subscription for people who would like constant assistance during their train journeys.
- Subscribed members would receive SMS guidance with regards to their train timings, platform numbers, connecting train details, refreshment and other station amenities, and also assistance in stressful situations like boarding wrong trains and reaching unintended locations.
- The idea was to develop a friendly and approachable AI driven assistant, that responds to natural language of the user, thereby making the user experience extremely intuitive and comfortable considering the target user group
Hubot
https://hubot.github.com/
Slack
https://slack.com/
SBB Database
http://data.sbb.ch/explore/?sort=modified
Twilio
https://www.twilio.com/
We used the Hubot framework to develop the Bot that used the SBB train schedule API to provide relevant guidance. The initial prototype was implemented in Slack, however since SMS is the best mode of communication with our target user, the BOT can be very quickly swapped to an SMS based service using the Twilio SMS adapter: https://hubot.github.com/docs/adapters/
A few tests with Twilio suggested that it is probably one of the best and cost efficent ways to deliver information on the web, through SMS.
Automated GPS tracking to improve system intelligence
Assistance for special needs
Refreshments and station services
Assistance for connecting buses and cable cars
