Proposal design to improve the public transport user experience based on wait times perception

Abstract

Accelerated industrial and population growth in the Queretaro Metropolitan Area has intensely strained the local public transportation system, which undermines daily mobility through inefficient route design and extended wait times. To tackle these structural issues without relying on governmental intervention, this study presents a new collaborative solution grounded in Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design methodologies. By prioritizing actual commuter needs, the present work developed SIMOT (Transport Monitoring System), an open crowdsourced mobile application that allows for real-time public transportation tracking through user-generated georeferencing. The methodological framework consists in four phases: empathizing, defining, ideating, and testing. The data compilation relied upon ethnographic tools, including participant observation, and semi-structured interviews, as well as focus groups conducted with the Autonomous University of Querétaro alumni and the municipal school transport staff. These results revealed that SIMOT cuts off commute uncertainty and improves user perception regarding wait times. Furthermore, the platform proved highly successful due to its user friendly interface, free availability, and low mobile data consumption. Ultimately, SIMOT demonstrates that user-driven technological innovation and cooperative community action can effectively make up for public infrastructure shortcomings, letting citizens improve everyday urban mobility and optimize family schedules across cities.