NEWSROOM

Hackathon for people on bikes challenges students to reinvent the wheel

2 July 2021

A bike-focused hackathon powered by Auckland Transport (AT) challenged seven teams of tertiary students and young professionals to re-imagine the biking experience in Auckland’s university precinct. Held at Unleash Space, the vibrant innovation and entrepreneurship hub run by the University of Auckland Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the event was organised in collaboration with AUT and the University of Auckland’s Sustainability Office.

The AT UniCycle Hackathon gave participants one day to develop an innovative and engaging idea to encourage the uptake and improve people on bikes’ experience of travelling around Auckland. Participants shared a passion for sustainability despite coming from a broad range of backgrounds – from backend developers and geospatial analysts to engineers and sociologists. Mentors and industry professionals representing diverse areas of expertise were also on hand to guide and support the teams.

Ideas were pitched at the end of the day to a judging panel consisting of Hannah Jemmett, an AT representative, Ian Fraser, President of The Association of Consulting and Engineering, and Chlöe Swarbrick, MP for Auckland Central.

The importance of getting students’ input into solving challenges for those on bikes was a “no-brainer” for Ben Mansfield, a University of Auckland Science alumnus currently in the AT team responsible for developing initiatives to reduce single occupancy vehicles and car dependency. He says, “We offer a wide range of free programmes such as teaching kids and adults how to ride, providing safety checks, and gamifying rewards through regional challenges, but know we can do more. Tertiary students are a great, passionate audience full of fresh ideas that help us get out of the echo-box of what we’re currently doing.

“Listening to the pitches, I was encouraged by the number of ideas that, without prompting from us, mimicked and extended things already in our pipeline. I was also surprised by how several of the ideas from different teams naturally slotted together.”

Outside of the prizegiving, a highlight for Ben was spectating the puncture repair challenge that took place at lunch time, where teams competed for the opportunity to pick the order in which they presented. He says, “There were some come-from-behind victories and everyone was on their feet cheering their team members on. Who knew a puncture repair could be so exciting?”

The collaboration between student participants and Auckland Transport doesn’t end here. Ben says, “We’re committed to taking forward as many practical ideas as possible. After determining what we will take forward and how, we’ll be working with the teams to develop their ideas so that they can be part of the entire process. It’s an overused cliché, but these really are the leaders of tomorrow. We hope to inspire them by committing to taking their ideas forward and enabling them to build the future they want to see.”

AT UniCycle Hackathon Winners

1st place – Bike Ed
Bike Ed created bike libraries to provide more equitable access to bikes, and addresses the top three barriers to cycling uptake. Just like a library, bikes can be taken out with a due date that can be renewed as required. The bikes would be utilitarian but safe and the libraries also act as a secure storage facility if a person prefers to take another mode of transport. Ideal locations for bike libraries would be schools, universities, and near centres of employment, and could be combined with end of trip facilities.

2nd place – Bike Curious
Bike Curious developed an extension of the AT Mobile app and other journey planners that features personalised bike route recommendations based on individual preferences (around factors like safety, speed, physical comfort, and scenery), disruption information, and dynamic rerouting.

3rd place – Kawe
Kawe is a student club and community to support people interested in getting out of their cars. Their offerings include supplying information and resources, a buddy programme, and on-campus promotions and activations, as well as advocacy for amenities that help people on bikes such as end of trip facilities and bike storage.

Other ideas developed at the hackathon include Pahikara (an idea to incorporate bike purchases in student loan course related costs), Where There’s A Will There’s A Way (an API to link stolen bike databases with purchasers), Bike Smart (a gamification app) and Banadanana (a coloured fabric to stay visible on the road).