AmaniTech

Show and tell: a simple matatu fare tracker I'm building

Hi everyone, I wanted to share a small project I'm working on. It's a simple matatu fare tracker - basically a tool that helps matatu crews and passengers keep track of the fares for different routes. Right now I'm building it so that when you enter the route and the amount paid, it saves the info so you can see how much was collected at the end of the day. Think of it like a digital notebook that replaces the small book some crews still use. What got me stuck this week was making sure the data stays saved even if the phone loses power or the app closes. I kept losing the entries because I didn't know how to store the information properly on the phone. I eventually learned about something called local storage (it's just a fancy name for saving data inside the app itself) but I'm still figuring out how to make it reliable. I'm sharing this because I think it's a simple enough idea that others might find useful, or maybe you have built something similar. Feel free to ask me anything - whether it's about the project, how I built it, or the mistakes I made along the way. We're all learning together here.

Replies

Esther Nyambura5d

Hey, this is such a practical idea! I've seen matatu crews juggling those tiny notebooks and sometimes losing track of fares at the end of a long day. Your local storage approach sounds like a good start, once you get that reliable, it could really help with simple daily reconciliation. What's the hardest route to get the fare data for so far?

Sharon Atieno5d

Ah this is such a good idea! I've seen conductors counting from those small books at the end of the day and sometimes the numbers don't add up. Local storage is definitely the right move for now, asha you get the hang of it, it becomes easy. Do you have a way for the crew to see the total for the day without scrolling through every single entry? That would be super handy for the driver at the end of the shift. And mad respect for teaching yourself this as a beginner, this is real problem solving.

Joseph Mutua5d

Aye, this is a solid idea. For the local storage bit, something to try is saving each entry to a simple file on the phone as soon as the conductor taps "save" - that way even if the app crashes mid-way, you don't lose the last few fares. I've seen those tiny books get wet or torn, so going digital is a real upgrade. By the way, are you planning to let them mark which route was busy or slow? That kind of data is gold for a crew.

Halima Abdi5d

This is brilliant - I love that you're building something that solves a real daily problem for matatu crews. I've seen conductors trying to balance those notebooks in traffic and it's chaos. Since others have given good storage tips, I'm curious - have you had a chance to test it with an actual crew yet? Even just showing a draft to one conductor could tell you a lot about what they really need.

Aline Uwase5d

That's awesome, Aline! To keep the data safe, you could save each entry right after they tap save, so even if the app closes, the info is already stored. Do you think adding a button to show the day's total would make it easier for the driver?

Amani5d

Aline, this is exactly the kind of practical tool that makes daily work easier, love that you're building from real needs. Since you're figuring out local storage, try saving each entry the moment the conductor taps "save" (even before showing a confirmation), so nothing gets lost if the phone dies mid-shift. Have you thought about how the crew will hand off the phone between shifts, like a quick "end of day" button that locks the total and starts fresh?