Tuesday, 11 April, 2017

UOWD Computer Science students from the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) recently scooped up the first place at yet another Hackathon challenge, by developing a social networking app which makes the use of public transport a happy experience instead of a dreaded journey. The inaugural RTA Transport Hackathon, aimed at finding innovative solutions to encourage the use of public transportation instead of private vehicles, took place at the RTA Innovation Lab in Al Sufouh Tram Depot. Eight teams, representing a number of universities from across the UAE, participated in the gruelling two-day challenge. Bisher Zumot (captain), Mansour Akbari and Mohammed Nawaz Hussain represented UOWD and came up with the winning app called Waselni (meaning “to connect” in Arabic). The app, inspired by specific features from Facebook, connect the riders in a similar way as how Facebook connects people. It also includes additional features such as RTA's public transport schedules, a chat feature, games and an option to make a charity donation. The team wowed the judges with their creativity and innovate design which took them a day to complete. “We love being a part of these competitions where innovation is at its fullest. Always be positive and think big”, commented Bisher. Bisher, the team captain of the winning team will also represent the UAE at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Montréal, Canada in May this year. He will be presenting the team’s winning idea and also create a new one with other experts from different countries