MOTION Kampala case study

Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, is a bustling metropolis with a population of over 3.5 million people. Like many other cities in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), it heavily relies on informal public transport systems, which play a crucial role in daily mobility.

The city’s transport network is largely composed of minibus taxis (matatus) and motorcycle taxis (bodas). The modal share of different transport modes in Kampala is estimated as follows: motorcycles (47%), minibuses (36%), and buses (12%). The dominance of motorcycles and minibuses underscores the significance of informal transport in the city’s mobility ecosystem.

Despite its importance, Kampala’s informal transport system is plagued by several challenges, including congestion, poor infrastructure, and safety concerns. A major issue facing commuters is the lack of real-time transport information, which makes planning and navigating the transport system difficult.

Unlike formal public transport systems in developed cities, where real-time tracking of buses and trains is standard, Kampala lacks a centralized database or digital platform providing real-time alerts on transport conditions. This leads to uncertainty for commuters regarding delays, disruptions, and alternative routes.

Addressing the Need for Real-Time Information

Real-time alerts offer immense benefits in emerging markets, especially for informal transport users. Studies have shown that access to real-time information can increase public transport usage by 53%, thereby reducing reliance on private cars and contributing to lower CO2 emissions (AlphaBeta, 2016).

The challenge in SSA cities, including Kampala, is that real-time transport data is often fragmented across various informal sources such as Facebook groups, WhatsApp communities, and social media discussions on platforms like Twitter.

Recognizing the potential of real-time information, WhereIsMyTransport designed a permissionless approach to generate real-time data. The goal was to aggregate fragmented transport-related discussions into a centralized, accessible feed that could benefit all stakeholders, including commuters, drivers, and transport operators. However, the challenge was identifying these sources, tapping into them, and automating the process to scale efficiently.

To achieve this, WhereIsMyTransport partnered with the Shell Foundation to develop and automate real-time alerts feed. Kampala was selected as a pilot city due to its representative transport characteristics, high reliance on informal modes, and growing digital connectivity.

Project MOTION Kampala

To overcome the lack of digital reports on transport disruptions in Kampala, the team launched Motion Kampala (@Motion_KLA) in November 2022. This X-based (formerly Twitter) initiative became the city’s primary real-time information source for incidents and disruptions. A local team was hired to engage with the community, ensuring that information was accessible in Luganda, the local language.

The project adopted a crowdsourcing model, where boda riders were incentivized to report traffic incidents via WhatsApp. This approach leveraged a platform familiar to drivers, reducing technical barriers. The reports were then shared on Twitter, encouraging further community contributions. By fostering engagement, Motion Kampala rapidly expanded its reach, providing valuable insights into road conditions across the city.

Automation and Data Processing

To enhance efficiency, the project integrated automation in its real-time alerts feed. The automation process involved several steps:

1. Report Filtering: Using natural language processing (NLP), irrelevant or duplicate reports were discarded.
2. Cause and Effect Prediction: AI models identified the root cause of disruptions (e.g., accidents, protests) and their impact (e.g., delays, road closures).
3. Geo-Location Mapping: Reports were assigned a specific location on a digital map.
4. Alert Composition: AI-generated grammatically correct alerts based on processed data.
5. Transport Impact Analysis: Determined which public transport routes were affected.
6. Closing Time Estimation: Used historical data to predict how long disruptions would last.

The outputs from this automation process were then made available through an API for third-party applications, facilitating integration into broader transport information systems.

Current Status

Since its launch, Motion Kampala has significantly improved real-time information access for transport users in the city. Between January and May 2023, the project posted an average of 583 alerts per month (20 per day), a dramatic increase from the 3–7 alerts per day identified before the project began. The alerts primarily covered traffic congestion, accidents, and flooding.

Engagement with Motion Kampala grew steadily, with an estimated reach of 640,000 users over the project period. This suggests that commuters increasingly relied on the service for up-to-date transport information. The initiative also demonstrated how digital solutions can transform transport networks in SSA by improving reliability and planning for informal transport users.

The automation process proved highly effective, achieving 97% accuracy in predicting disruption causes, effects, and locations. However, to ensure quality control, a small team of human operators continued moderating reports.

Conclusion

Motion Kampala has illustrated the transformative potential of crowd-sourced real-time transport data in SSA cities. By leveraging social media and automation, the project successfully addressed the information gap in Kampala’s informal transport system, enabling commuters to make informed travel decisions.

The success of Motion Kampala provides a model that can be replicated in other SSA cities facing similar challenges. As digital connectivity continues to expand, integrating real-time transport data into broader urban mobility solutions could enhance accessibility, efficiency, and sustainability in public transport systems across the region.

Going forward, further refining automation capabilities and expanding community engagement will be crucial to sustaining and scaling real-time transport solutions in SSA. With continued support from stakeholders, projects like Motion Kampala have the potential to revolutionize urban mobility and improve the daily commute for millions of people in emerging cities.

Suggested readings

• Scaling Real-Time Information: A case study of Kampala
• A Literature Review of the Passenger Benefits of Real-Time Transit Information (2019)