‘Where’s My Shuttle’ – CU students finally have an answering app

It was around 9:30am. Economics department student Anika Tasnim was waiting at Cantonment Railway Station for a Chittagong University (CU)-bound shuttle train, which was scheduled to arrive at 9am. Anika had only one question in her mind – “Where is the shuttle train?”

This question plagues thousands of students who travel to the CU campus, about 22 kilometres from Chattogram city, by the university's shuttle trains every day, as delays and schedule disruptions hamper their academic activities.

Now, students themselves have taken an initiative to change that with the “Shuttle Tracker” – a mobile app that allows students to see its location in real time.

CU Vice-Chancellor Prof Mohammad Al-Forkan on Tuesday launched the app, which does not require a dedicated GPS device on the train. Instead, it uses location data shared from the mobile phones of people travelling on the shuttle.

The app was developed under the CUCSU initiative by Sakib Rahman Hissan, a second-year student of the department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, and Tahmid Khan Alim, a third-year student of the department of Sociology.

For English department student Fatema Tuz Zohra, the app has made it easier to plan her commute.

“Earlier, after classes, we had to send messages in different messenger groups to find out whether we would get the shuttle or whether the train was stuck somewhere. Now, as soon as we open the app, we can see exactly where the shuttle is. It saves time and takes away much of the uncertainty.”

How it works

Any student, driver or railway employee travelling on a shuttle can click the “Trip Share” option. Their phone’s location is then used to show the train’s position on the live map.

The app identifies the two shuttle trains by their “Up route” – from Bot Toli towards the university and the “Down route” – from the university towards the city.

The map shows locations including Bot Toli, Jhautola, Sholashahar, Cantonment, Chowdhuryhat and Fateyabad, along with the number of passengers currently sharing their locations.

Sakib told the Daily Sun, “We tried three methods after receiving the proposal from CUCSU. As the coaches and engines of the shuttle trains are changed frequently, installing a GPS device on the train was not practical. So we developed the system based on crowd-sourced GPS.”

The team mapped the entire route from Bot Toli station to CU station using around 14,500 coordinate points to improve tracking accuracy, he said. A user’s location will appear on the map when they are within about five metres of the shuttle. Once they move beyond that range, their location will no longer be displayed.

The service is also accessible through Google Chrome, in addition to the mobile app.

Timetable and community reports

Shuttle Tracker also includes an updated timetable showing scheduled departures and the status of individual trains. Students can check whether a particular shuttle is still due, has already departed or is expected to leave shortly.

Mohammad Ishaq Bhuiyan, CUCSU’s communications and accommodation affairs secretary, said, “Such information is particularly useful for students trying to catch the last shuttle of the day or those coming from the city for classes. They can now avoid much of the uncertainty simply by checking their phones.”

The app also has a Community Board, where students can report delays, service disruptions, accidents or the need for alternative arrangements. To reduce misinformation, users must register with their name, university ID and department.

Ishaq said the IDs and departments would be verified, while the information would remain with the CUCSU office and would not be publicly displayed on the Community Board. Students do not have to share their location simply to view the shuttle map, Sakib said. They can use the map without granting location permission. Their location is added to the tracking system only when they activate Trip Share.

CUCSU Vice-President Mohammad Ibrahim Hossain (Rony) told the Daily Sun that student participation would not be mandatory for the app to work as the CUCSU will involve the train drivers, guards, station masters, volunteers and permanent railway staff in the system.