technoholik

In less than 10 keystrokes, you can now find out the shortest bus route between any two points in Mumbai. The app is currently free, and doesn’t require you to send an SMS, or use a GPRS connection, and works on the lowest end phones. The Java app is downloadable at www.m4mum.com
“We will be adding NMMT routes in a month, which will extend the coverage of this app for users in Navi Mumbai,” says 26-year-old Raxit Sheth, a software engineer who lives in Kandivali East.
It was developed in collaboration with two of his friends, Deepa Kapadia and Jasmit Wala. “Please give credit to Neeraj Pattatth as lovely logo maker!” adds Raxit.
The group have been flooded with mails and SMSes thanking them for this tool, they’ve used social media to get data about routes from contributors in the last three months. “Presently, our data is 75% + accurate,” says Raxit.
The product received plenty of feedback from Twitter and Internet followers who have filled in with additional bus routes, and even got hosted on the Samsung app store last week. Even non-Samsung user can download the application from the store: ( http://wap.in.samsungmobile.com)
Users with Bluetooth phones can quickly transfer this app to friends or strangers, anyone who asks for a bus route. “The key point for us is to go viral and rocking with this app, less people come on website, it is finding more users through word of mouth.” said Raxit.
With the enormous amount of work being put it into updating the app, future versions hosted on app stores will be sold for a nominal charge of Rs. 5.
“We will most likely we try to keep it as free…or nominal charge, less than even what you pay for booklet.” says Raxit.
“The main point is that BEST has not supported us, and provided data. So instead of stopping there…we have asked Mumbaikars to support us.”
In Germany, there is a growing pirate party, that lobbies for everything from universal Internet access and Open data. Such a utility could be easily made for metro trains in India as well, and crowd sourcing it seems to be the only way until now.

Friends at Onlygizmos have tested the app on a Nokia E63 and have a screenshot as well.

Update: Mobile4Mumbai plans to add information on ATMs, petrol pumps, and hospitals, and has been listed on the Airtel App store.