The government initiatives to digitise the analogue systems in the country have made many people, especially the youths, enthusiastic. A large section of the citizens has heartily welcomed the step. Of late, the mood of jubilation among the urban youths with the introduction of 'Wi-Fi Buses' is highly remarkable.
In fact, the Dhaka-dwelling smart phone users became quite delighted as the announcement in this regard had been made.
Later on, the 'digital buses' hit Dhaka roads. A total of twenty such transports of BRTC were brought under this facility. However, many found the quantity of the special buses low compared to the total number of inter-city bus travellers. Still, the number wasn't awfully low in the context of a pilot project.
Everybody had been eagerly waiting for the digital facility on bus. Facebook and blogs were flooded with the news of the upcoming digital ride.
But after the device's installation, the users were shocked to discover its lack of consistency and poor performance.
First of all, while using the facility by a passenger the driver or the supervisor does not prove to be of any help. It will be easier to find the bar-code printed on a paper attached to the window of the bus, which ensures the Wi-Fi connection with the devices. In order to read the bar-code, the phone or the device itself should work as a scanner. By all means, during a not-that-smooth journey across the Dhaka roads one requires an integrated standard camera in the device, beside the Wi-Fi connectivity feature, to steadily scan the bar-code while holding the device in one's bare hand. Let's suppose that the device has a standard camera, yet it can't be connected if it does not demonstrate the reading of the distinct application and makes it work. Since the connection process cannot be managed by any third party bar-code scanner app, the need is to install that specific app that establishes the Wi-Fi connection. Then there arises another problem.
Nowadays, devices run on different platforms like Android OS, iOS, Windows etc. A passenger cannot ever get connected to the Wi-Fi with a Windows device on hand, since the whole process consists of apps that do not support Windows devices. The old platforms like Java and Symbian are just out of question here.
The whole facility can work perfectly if anyone has only an Android or i-device with an integrated standard camera that can scan the bar-code steadily. Only then can she or he access the Wi-Fi.
It could be that somebody has a device which meets all these criteria. Yet she or he might become dreadfully unhappy due to the snail's pace of connection in most of the buses. Passengers might reach the point of breakdown, when the Wi-Fi does not actually have a real connection. With it ends the hopes of enjoying a digital ride.
When the intention is to bring something new, it is necessary to measure the functionality of both the service itself and the users. There's the old saying about services --- "Do it right the first time".
The authorities may have missed it, but still the hazards could be overcome by going for an effective service recovery.
The writer is a student at Business Administration Dept, East West University, Dhaka. ahmadibnarif@outlook.com
