Tired of hitting the same potholes every day? Well, now there’s an app for that. There’s another app for that. We’re not sure what was wrong with the last one. Maybe nothing. This new one is just for Gauteng, though. The province’s Transport and Roads department has just launched its new PotholeFixGP app.
The app is only available on the Google Play Store at the moment. It allows users to report potholes as well as other road maintenance issues. Those with other phones needn’t feel left out. A version is headed to Apple’s App Store and Huawei’s App Gallery at some point in the near future.
Gauteng Transport and Roads MEC Jacob Mamabolo said that the app “…serves to build a relationship with motorists/road users to be the eyes and ears of the Department in keeping road infrastructure conditions conducive for a safe and enhanced pleasant driving experience.” Which sounds a bit like ‘We’d like you to do this work for us, thanks’, but if it gets the potholes fixed…
How to report a pothole:
- Alert the department – The user reports the pothole or issue with the road via GPS or dropping a pin on the map.
- The department gets to work – Once reported by a user, a pothole appears on the departmental dashboard. From there it is assigned to the correct maintenance team, such as road agencies or municipalities. Once assigned, a status indicator appears on it.
- Optional updates – User can upload their email address to receive updates on the pothole(s) they have reported.
- On the road again – Users can see and verify if the pothole is on a municipal, provincial, or national road. The entity responsible for the road will (probably) handle the problem.
- Status symbol – PotholeFixGP provides a status update of the pothole, from Reported to Assigned, and eventually to Complete for both the department and user who reported the issue.
Seems simple enough. The big test will be how fast those responsible for sorting the road out respond to reports in the province. Stuff… tends to travel a fair bit in Gauteng. We’ll let you know if the drive gets a little less bumpy.
Source: BusinessTech
