Pisicorre- Empowering Collective Transportation in Puerto Rico
This article documents the design process for Pisicorre, a smartphone application aimed at improving the traditional shared-taxi system of collective transportation in Puerto Rico.
Note: Additional interviews and surveys had to be postponed due to the impact of Hurricane María. The hurricane’s devastation has affected regular use of transportation, communications and my research.
Introduction
Over the past few decades, public transportation in Puerto Rico has suffered a steady decline in use. This is mostly due to car-centered urban planning. Additionally, the country’s current fiscal crisis has made matters worse for the public transportation ecosystem, leaving its’ users with no alternatives, and with no improvement in sight. To top it off, Hurricane María has exposed all of the island’s vulnerabilities, transportation being one of them.
This project describes the design process for a system which aims to improve service and trust for the Pisicorre system, the only public transportation system that covers the entire island of Puerto Rico.
The Problem Space
The popular opinion in Puerto Rico is that public transportation is only an option for people that are unable to drive or have limited access to a car. Even users of public transportation share this vision.
“I have to take the bus, I have no other alternative”
Puerto Rico’s public transportation system cannot meet the needs of the general population. Submerged in fiscal crisis, and magnified by the devastation of Hurricane María, it doesn’t have the capacity to support the entire transportation ecosystem. On the contrary, there is willingness to impose austerity measures through the reduction of services and more taxation.*
The shared taxi system known as “Pisicorre” (Step-and-Go) is the collective transportation system with the most routes on the island (both in urban and rural areas). However, due to the development of urbanized areas and the general dependency on the privately owned car, the Pisicorre is on the verge of disappearing.
Less service hours, elimination of routes and the limited number of drivers also factor in to decreased usage.
The existence of Pisicorre depends on client demand, with little or no economic support from the government. If re-framed as an opportunity, this would provide a flexibility that leverages each persons independent potential for improvement, even in today’s grim landscape. By re-envigorating the Pisicorre system, it may be possible to strengthen the economy. As users experience a reliable service, drivers would see an increase in passengers. Additionally, a younger generation would be motivated to use the service as a real alternative for both transportation and employment.
Understanding the context and economic constraints leads to the following question:
Is it possible to stimulate the public transportation system in Puerto Rico with little-to-no investment?
The Research Journey
The general attitude in Puerto Rico is that it is not possible to rely on public transportation, regardless of whether people use the system regularly, occasionally or sporadically. Furthermore, secondary research shows how this lack of reliable public transportation options contributes to social inequality.
For this project, I focused my research on the municipality of Bayamón, Puerto Rico (which is in the metropolitan area). The Pisicorre maintains an active service here. Through personal experience, secondary research and informal conversations, I acquired an understanding of the mobility needs of both primary and potential users, and gathered some findings that can provide context.
Findings
- Historically, public transportation has not been a priority for the government. Due to conflicting views between Pisicorre drivers and government, integration with the main transportation service (ATI) has not been possible.
- The long waiting times and the unpredictability of the bus departures/arrivals contribute to the lack of confidence and user dissatisfaction.
- Typically, the passengers do not own a car or cannot drive.
- Many first time users have a hard time understanding how to use the Pisicorre system. Identifying where a station or stop is located is difficult.
- 70% of internet access in Puerto Rico is from smartphones. 3.1 million phones in PR, 78% of those are smartphones* (link)
Insights
- The experience should be flexible and build trust in the system.
- The system should empower the users and give them a voice.
- The system should motivate and reward good behavior in users.
- The system should incentivize both passengers and drivers to modify their habits and become empowered by the transportation experience.
- The system should be predictable and allow users to plan their day.
For more information on my insights and findings, please refer to the post Understanding Collective Transportation in Puerto Rico - My Research Journey.
Think of the User (Developing Personas)
The research highlighted the social needs and lack of resources that many of the passengers have. I was able to identify a type of passenger that could help improve the system, increase the demand and benefit other users. Those passengers were the “occasional users”, a younger generation that currently uses the share-taxi system on an infrequently basis. These Personas were developed from this user.
These personas shed light on how the occasional user’s frustrations relate to the lack of scheduling in the Pisicorre system. Uncertainty and long wait-times lead to frustration, stress, and disrupt user’s plans for the day.
Mapping the user experience was a natural next step. The Journey Map revealed the high and low points of the travel experience, as well as the reasons occasional users are generally dissatisfied with the Pisicorre experience.
Pisicorre Passenger — Journey Map
Planning — Most passengers experience frustration waiting for the bus to arrive and depart. This unpredictability and lack of schedule are the main reasons why potential users would rather not use the Pisicorre.
The wait-time for departure may be longer than what most people expect. Yet, it’s important to contextualize these frustrations and understand that they depend on the type of passenger. Frequent passengers demonstrate a tolerance for waiting. This may be because long waits have become routine, a part of the Pisicorre experience.
By analyzing the journey map and research findings, I established a context and narrowed down some of the opportunity spaces. These opportunities are based on sustaining motivation by minimizing the uncertainty and frustration in using the Pisicorre.
By focusing on Occasional Users of the Pisicorre, there is a possibility to strengthen the system by converting them into Frequent Users. By converting Occasional Users into Frequent Users, the system increases it’s capacity. More passengers means more demand, more demand means more opportunities to supply. If the buses fill up faster, the wait-times for departure are reduced. This conversion also improves the experience for the Frequent User, typically elderly, who may not have the means to improve their experience.
Design Strategy
To develop confidence in the system, it’s important to establish visibility and communication between passengers and drivers. Knowledge of the status or location of the bus gives the passenger the visibility that they need and encourages trust that the trip will be completed within an acceptable time frame.
These main goals could collaterally generate positive change for some of the most vulnerable in the Puerto Rican population. This project aims to strengthen the economy and prevent the disappearance of this unique transportation system.
Constraints and Opportunities
Throughout this project, the constraints and opportunities have been contextualized within the general perception of public transportation in Puerto Rico and the reality of a country in financial crisis, accentuated by natural disaster. This is a position which demands reinvention and provides the opportunities to try different things.
These opportunities lead to an efficient solution with little investment. Pisicorre users can support the system simply by using their smartphones.
Solution — Pisicorre, a smartphone app
Pisicorre is a smartphone application which allows passengers to track bus locations in real-time, check arrival and departure times, and plan their trip with the Pisicorre system.
This platform supports passenger needs and increases demand for drivers. To increase trust in the service, a social connection is established through driver profiles. The design leverages users with smartphones and internet connection (a large number of the population of Puerto Rico) to improve a pre-existing form of public transportation. Drivers increase their customer base by providing more visibility to their service. Passengers who do not have access to smartphones, mainly the elderly, could benefit directly from better route coverage.
For this part of the project, I will focus on the development of the platform experience for passengers.
The Prototyping Phase
The scenario for this phase is the Occasional User using the Pisicorre service for the first time.
Sketches and Paper Prototypes
Using paper prototyping and sketches, I worked out the user flow and established the primary functions for the application. This allowed me to test usability and discover some of the user’s expectations.
Experience prototyping
Since I am not living in Puerto Rico at the moment, I used experience prototyping and bodystorming to evaluate a realistic scenario of a passenger using the app. Former Pisicorre users participated in this phase.
The top priority in designing the UI was to establish a visible connection between passengers and drivers.
By enacting an experience prototype, I was able to simulate the experience of using an app to interact with the Pisicorre system early in the design process. I explored functionality and evaluated realistic engagement, as well as the flow through interfaces. Expectations such as clear visibility of the location of the bus and stations, alerts, changes in schedule, connections with other public transportation services, trip cost, were some of the insights uncovered by this phase, which I then integrated into the design.
After this process I felt I had enough to move on to a high fidelity prototype. Created using Adobe Illustrator and XD, this mockup of the Pisicorre app establishes a look and feel, and simulates the user flow when using the app’s main features.
Introducing Pisicorre
The top priority in designing the UI was to establish a visible connection between passengers and drivers. Visibility into the current status and real-time location data gives passengers the information they need in order to commit to using Pisicorre for their transportation.
Both drivers and passengers contribute their GPS data to inform the system of the bus’ location. Once at the bus station, the driver can add the amount of passengers seated, this will update the system on the departure time.
The user platform has 5 main features:
Real-time Tracking for visibility of buses which are already on route.
Seat Availability Monitoring allows user to estimate departure times, without setting a specific schedule. However, increased usage can give the system a level of predictability in terms of wait time.
Favorite Routes allow users to access their most commonly used routes, speeding up the process.
Service Alerts inform the users of any changes in routes, delays and traffic updates.
Feedback System for monitoring of the system’s functionality and stimulating good service. This is a key feature that gives the users a sense of contribution, ownership, and empowerment.
System Overview
By leveraging users’ GPS enabled smartphones and cloud-based technologies, this system can be implemented with very little investment. There is no need to develop or purchase hardware, other than the smartphones that users already own.
User Flow
This image describes the user flow that a passenger would have when using Pisicorre: entering the desired route, arrival at the bus station, bus departure, and trip completion.
Conclusion
The purpose of this project is to envision a way to impact the possibilities for social and physical mobility for the population of Puerto Rico. Having been a user of public transportation for many years, I understand the anxiety of depending on a public transportation services that is unreliable. Additionally, in these times of economic crisis, the government has shown that it does not have the capacity, or the will power, to invest and improve these services. This means that solutions must come from the ground up.
By using a design thinking (human-centered) approach, I’ve concluded that the Pisicorre, a marginalized form of transportation, can be transformed into a reliable and affordable alternative, thanks to it’s flexible, independent, and scalable nature.
This project cannot be envisioned without a sense of urgency to create a realistic tool which will have social impact. With regular use, the Pisicorre could:
- Provide new employment opportunities for drivers, in both young and older generations.
- Increase employment opportunities for people who depend on public transportation.
- Establish a reliable form of transportation for people who do not own a vehicle.
- Transform how public transportation is perceived in Puerto Rico.
- Reduce dependence on private means of transportation.
- Promote a sense of collaboration, ownership and impact on resources as a community.
- Contribute to equality by providing mobility to marginalized residents on the island.
Although there is still a lot of work to do in this design project, we can imagine the impact that its deployment could have in Puerto Rico. This service, powered by the community itself, could be a powerful contribution to Puerto Rico’s recovery.
