FWC 2010: Can Public Transport be Improved with SMS Gateways?

SMS gateways are more than just a communications facility to get in touch with clients and employees - it’s a tool to improve on service delivery. How can the South African transport system benefit?

Have you ever taken the train, anywhere in South Africa? Or what about a bus or even the taxi?

I do, on a daily basis. And, for the most part it’s a service that operates rather well. On the odd occasion, however, it can lead to frustration with services being canceled without any measure of warning. This creates a problem for quite a number of people who don’t have means to other forms of transport.

And with the FWC 2010 looming, a great number of people from all over the world will need some form of transport to get from point A to point B during their stay. What can be done by public transport service providers in South Africa to make the experience as painless as possible? As you may have guessed, this is where SMS gateways come into play. Here’s how…

Train Service

One of the main benefits of SMS gateways is that they allow for two-way communication. This means that, with the implementation of the right application programming interface, a system can be set up that will allow commuters to send an SMS message to a specific number to query the status of their chosen form of transportation. For example, “Stb Cpt” sent to, say, a train service could be responded to with “Stb; 10:01 - On time, 11:35 - On time, 13:12: Delayed 25min,” and so on.

Not only does this mean that commuters will be able to plan their journeys accordingly, but it would also make this service accessible to more people. This service could also be enhanced by allowing regular commuters to subscribe (for a small monthly fee?) that will automatically inform them of any possible delays and perhaps make suggestions for alternative transport services that are readily available and running on time – all of which are automatically sent through  SMS gateways.

Bus Services

One of the main benefits of the bus service is that in certain areas there are more buses catering for a certain destination than a corresponding train service. This means that, should you miss the 09:15 bus, you’ll be able to get the 09:25, perhaps on the same route or a couple of blocks away.

But for visitors to our beautiful country who don’t know where these buses are running from, getting on the right bus could be a problem. What to do? One idea is the implementation of a service that will allow you to locate the closest stop to your current location. A possible example here includes “7600 Adderley Street”, where “7600″ is the postal code and Adderley Street the destination. The reply could then list various stops in the 7600 area where buses stop on their way to Adderley Street, or that vicinity. Using a mapping service connected to the SMS gateways, the bus service will then be able to map the location of the commuter and then reply with all the possible stops in the area, “7600 to Adderly Street: Du Toit Str., Reed Str.,…”

Taxi Services

Minibus taxis are cheap and relatively quick and pretty efficient, with quite a number of taxis servicing a specific destination throughout the day. And if you’re a local, you’ll probably be able to find your way pretty easily to a pick up point or your closest taxi rank.

The same cannot, however,  be said for a visitor to South Africa who’d like to use this affordable form of public transportation. In this case a similar system as the one described  above can be used, but with even greater accuracy as taxis generally cover a smaller area. “Edward Str PTA - Indaba Mall” can be used as an example sent in by a commuter who wishes to get to the Indaba Mall. Using a mapping service, a reply can be sent via SMS gateways informing the commuter of the closest pickup point, “Go to Johnson Street, opposite butchery”.

Benefit of Using SMS Gateways to Public Transport Services

Of the many advantages offered by an SMS gateway information system as described above, some do stand out:

• Use of a medium common to all cell phones
• Affordable communication for both commuters and public transportation services
• Increased public visibility of the transportation services (which could lead to an increase in revenue)
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Customer retention

These benefits are not only specific to public transport services, but to all businesses. What can you do with SMS gateways to improve the relationship you have with your customers?

For more information, simply navigate to our SMS gateways page.

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Tags: 2010 Travel SMS, SMS communication, SMS gateway, SMS Gateways