Driver console: Reinventing bus ticketing
Piloted successfully • 85 buses and scaling • 1.3M tickets issued in one year
Piloted successfully • 85 buses and scaling • 1.3M tickets issued in one year
CONTEXT
CONTEXT
In India, ticketing in buses is often handled manually by conductors who keep moving across the bus, leading to pilferage, difficult monitoring, and a disorganized passenger experience.
Operators face revenue loss due to pilferage & manpower costs, while passenger face delays and confusion during boarding.
To address this, Chalo explored a driver-managed ticketing console, aiming to bring greater transparency and speed.
In India, ticketing in buses is often handled manually by conductors who keep moving across the bus, leading to pilferage, difficult monitoring, and a disorganized passenger experience.
Operators face revenue loss & manpower costs, while passenger face delays and confusion during boarding.
To address this, Chalo explored a driver-managed ticketing console, aiming to bring greater transparency and speed.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
PROBLEM STATEMENT
How might we help drivers issue tickets quickly without fatigue? The console should:
How might we help drivers issue tickets quickly without fatigue? The console should:
Minimise effort and cognitive load to issue a ticket
Enable quick, error-free ticketing across cities
Ensure seamless sync with other onboard devices
MY ROLE
Led end-to-end product design
Led end-to-end product design
TEAM
1 designer, 1 PM, 4 dev, 2 hardware engineers
1 designer, 1 PM, 4 dev
TIMELINE
6 months
6 months
IMPACT
IMPACT
25%
25%
reduction in operational costs for operators
90%
90%
reduced pilferage as compared to conductor-ticketing
40%
40%
increase in digital penetration over 1 year in Indore
9/10
9/10
driver rating post all pilot refinements
A glimpse of fast ticketing & inauguration of the console by Indore's Chief minister
A glimpse of fast ticketing & inauguration of the console by Indore's Chief minister
PROCESS STEP 1
PROCESS STEP 1
Mapping bus layout, driver-passenger interaction & challenges
Mapping bus layout, driver-passenger interaction & challenges
With the hardware team, we studied how passengers board, interact with the driver, and where the console fits. This clarified the physical limits and real-world context for the design.
With the hardware team, we studied how passengers board, interact with the driver, and where the console fits. This clarified the physical limits and real-world context for the design.
STEP 2
STEP 2
IA: All critical actions on one screen
IA: All critical actions on one screen
Kept critical tasks on one screen to cut navigation effort, with non-essential tasks kept in a secondary layer. This reduced driver distraction while covering edge cases like failed payments, device disconnections, or low battery.
Kept critical tasks on one screen to cut navigation effort, with non-essential tasks kept in a secondary layer. This reduced driver distraction while covering edge cases like failed payments, device disconnections, or low battery.
STEP 3
STEP 3
Wireframe for quick, two-tap tickets
Wireframe for quick, two-tap tickets
I created early wireframes to turn the information architecture into testable screens within the constraint of a compact console. At each step, I checked if the design reduced driver effort, avoided queues, stayed simple for initial pilots, and was adaptable across cities.
PILOT
PILOT
Indore City Pilot: 5 buses, 3 months, 100% ticket issuance success
Indore City Pilot: 5 buses, 3 months, 100% ticket issuance success
For 3 months we collected feedback from drivers and improved the experience. While drivers were able to issue tickets across payment modes and handle connectivity hiccups between devices, there was much scope to reduce effort / time per ticket. For buses with distant entry doors, we added a passenger-facing device.
KEY REFINEMENT
KEY REFINEMENT
Adding stop number / fare selection for low effort; 24% increase in speed per ticket
Adding stop number / fare selection for low effort; 24% increase in speed per ticket
We uncovered that most drivers had routes & fares memorised, so we added a stop number/fare view alongside the list. New drivers could still switch to list view if needed. This quickly became the preferred option, described as “significantly faster”. This also prepared for expansion in other cities with different models.
We uncovered that most drivers had routes & fares memorised, so we added a stop number/fare view alongside the list. New drivers could still switch to list view if needed. This quickly became the preferred option, described as “significantly faster”. This also prepared for expansion in other cities with different models.
EASE OF USE
EASE OF USE
Quick access to popular stops & dark mode
Quick access to popular stops & dark mode
We added popular stops surfaced at the top to cut scrolling. Dark mode reduced glare, making night trips safer.
We added popular stops surfaced at the top to cut scrolling. Dark mode reduced glare, making night trips safer.
RESULT
RESULT
Refinements boosted performance & we scaled to 85 buses across 4 cities and counting…
Refinements boosted performance & we scaled to 85 buses across 4 cities and counting…
We are now rapidly expanding this experiment to more Indian cities like Nagpur, Sambhajinagar and international markets like Peru, where gaps in mobility are similar to India.
We are now rapidly expanding this experiment to more Indian cities like Nagpur, Sambhajinagar and international markets like Peru, where gaps in mobility are similar to India.
9/10
9/10
avg. driver satisfaction rating → up by 3 points
avg. driver satisfaction rating → up by 3 points
4s
4s
avg. ticketing time → down from 16s
avg. ticketing time → down from 16s
REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS
Digital design must account for physical context
Digital design must account for physical context
Designing for a bus meant considering factors like driver reach, elements closest to his thumb, visibility at night, and quick conversations in crowded spaces. I learned that when design decisions are shaped by their physical surroundings, they are more user friendly & intuitive.
Designing for a bus meant considering factors like driver reach, elements closest to his thumb, visibility at night, and quick conversations in crowded spaces. I learned that when design decisions are shaped by their physical surroundings, they are more user friendly & intuitive.
Why mapping the whole system matters
Why mapping the whole system matters
The success of the driver console depended on both device-to-device interactions (console, ETIM, printer) and human-to-human interactions (driver and passengers). By mapping the whole system early, we caught hidden edge cases that would have been highly disruptive in a busy bus environment.
The success of the driver console depended on both device-to-device interactions (console, ETIM, printer) and human-to-human interactions (driver and passengers). By mapping the whole system early, we caught hidden edge cases that would have been highly disruptive in a busy bus environment.
Emerging technologies are important for accessibility
Emerging technologies are important for accessibility
This project revealed the limits of visual interaction in a high-pressure, limited-mobility environment. Voice or gesture-based interactions, which are now being explored can be more efficient, and it is essential to keep exploring these technologies and apply them where they add real value.
This project revealed the limits of visual interaction in a high-pressure, limited-mobility environment. Voice or gesture-based interactions, which are now being explored can be more efficient, and it is essential to keep exploring these technologies and apply them where they add real value.
सृजन् आनंदम्
“Creation is joy.” Everything I design is an act of joy, curiosity, and care for the people who will use it.
LET'S TALK ALL THINGS HUMAN
सृजन् आनंदम्
“Creation is joy.” Everything I design is an act of joy, curiosity, and care for the people who will use it.
LET'S TALK ALL THINGS HUMAN
सृजन् आनंदम्
“Creation is joy.” Everything I design is an act of joy, curiosity, and care for the people who will use it.