New App Tracks Campus Shuttles for Easy Commutes

Waiting for a campus shuttle just got a whole lot easier, thanks to three McMaster Engineering student entrepreneurs who turned a classroom project into a real-world solution. When McMaster’s Parking Services began receiving student feedback about shuttle schedules, Director Rob Morrallee knew something had to change. “Students told us the shuttles were convenient but frustrating because there was no way to know when they’d arrive,” Morrallee explained. “We were determined to address that need and being at a university gave us the most unique opportunity: Tapping into the incredible knowledge and creativity of our students.” Morrallee approached Spencer Smith, associate professor of Computing and Software, discuss addressing the issue through a capstone project. “Partnering in this way was a privilege and the perfect way to create a solution that truly serves student needs,” says Morrallee. Software Engineering students Arvind Shastri, George Yazji and Andrew Thompson, who all started in McMaster’s Engineering program in 2020, reunited for their capstone project after completing co-op terms. They saw the project as a chance to make a real impact on campus life. “We all faced the frustration of waiting without knowing when the shuttle would arrive, especially in the colder months and exam seasons” they said. “Capstone gave us the perfect chance to solve a real problem for our community.” Their idea was simple: an app that shows the real-time location of campus shuttles and how many minutes until they arrive at stops, including popular lots M, N and P, which are down the hill from the main campus. Over several months, they developed a prototype and pitched their solution to Parking Services and Attridge, the vendor operating the shuttles, and ultimately won the opportunity to bring their vision to life. The students incorporated their app under the name Trac, continued refining the system and recently signed a contract with Attridge to pilot their shuttle-tracking software at McMaster. The agreement includes the potential to expand the Trac app to shuttle services across additional McMaster campuses. “It’s exciting to see our classroom learning translate into a real-world solution that benefits students and improves campus life,” said the team.