Young students bring community safety with the Khusela app
After several scholar transport accidents, two students from Midrand contribute to bettering the community by creating a safety app to protect learners and mitigate accidents.
Midrand business partners David Omiwole and Michael Lukayi saw a critical gap in the regulation of scholar transport, especially after parents raised concerns about the alarming number of accidents earlier this year.
Determined to make a difference, the two university students founded Khusela Technologies and developed an app they believe could help protect young learners.
Read more: Community leaders and stakeholders unite tackle learner transport safety in Midrand
The app, called Khusela, is designed to regulate scholar transport drivers by displaying key details such as identification, licences, registration numbers, and location.
Parents will be able to check whether the drivers’ vehicles are roadworthy and receive notifications when their children leave home and return – a vital tool for families who are often at work during school hours.
By improving transparency and accountability, the actuarial science and computer science students hope the app will ultimately reduce the high number of scholar transport accidents and strengthen trust between parents and drivers.
Explaining the choice of name, Lukayi said,
“We wanted a name that resonates with our people because we really are for our community, and to also emphasise what we are trying to do with this app, which is to protect our future – the children using scholar transport. We then thought Khusela was the best name as it means ‘protection’.”
Also read: Plans to boost community safety with Khusela app
To ensure accessibility, Omiwole added that they planned to employ young students from TVET colleges to assist parents and drivers in navigating the app.
“To help parents and drivers navigate our app, we will be sending out about 50 to 100 people. These young people will mostly be TVET college students who studied computer science. They will be called the Khusela Champions.
“We are hoping that with this, we will also be helping the government by providing practical skills to the youth.”
The app is expected to launch next year and will be available for use by both parents and drivers.
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