Hack-A-Thon Yields App For Bus Users

HART bus riders will now be able to use their cell phones to see when the next bus will arrive after a Tampa-based company won the first Mayor's .

The contest used judges to rank smartphone apps that could help the city by their usefulness, user experience, quality and originality. The winning app, called HARTxt, by Tampa company SPARKTECH netted the company a $1,000 check last Wednesday and will reach beyond smartphone users.

With a simple text that includes the bus stop number and bus number, riders will get back a schedule of the next three busses to arrive. By using text, anyone with a cell phone can benefit from the creation of HARTxt.

The contest gave participating teams 48 hours to come up with the most useful app possible using data collected by the city. It was an initiative put into place by Buckhorn to show off the tech community in Tampa. 

Runners-up included an app that allowed people to file requests and forms with the city for everything from reserving parks and recreation facilities to water works issues.

Another, called SimTampa.com, was a web app that provides a portal for the community to connect with policymakers and property developers using vacant lot data from the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office. Users would log in with their Facebook account, get a personalized list of vacant commercial properties in their area, and could categorize and discuss each unoccupied property individually. Policy makers and developers could then take citizen input for local ideas about how to best fill the vacant buildings.

Signs are already going up at bus stops in the city with the number to text the SMS system so that bus rider frustration over scheduling can begin to be eased immediately. A demo version of the app is available here.

For information on the 15 apps submitted the city, click here.