However, the mobile app – which allows users to report road infrastructure problems such as potholes and broken storm water drains – was an additional means of enhancing communication between the public and the agency, and would not stop the agency from conducting its own inspections.
This according to the road agency’s managing director Skhumbuzo Macozoma, who said the agency noted concerns from the public during the trial phase last month.
“We received tweets asking why the public should be doing our job, but the app will not replace our road inspection role,” he said during the official launch of the app on 14 May.
Find&Fix records the global positioning system (GPS) co-ordinates of reported problems and allows users to take photo evidence, enabling them to notify the agency about road related problems with pin-point accuracy. The road agency said this would improve its assessment of what was required to fix faults.
According to road agency’s IT manager Krushen Pillay, the app also allows users to share information, while the GPS functionality allows the app to notify users of major problems, such as flooded routes, and can also be used to indicate locations of faulty traffic lights that the agency was aware of.
The app was developed by Intervate and, according to Pillay, it required an investment of R400 000.
The agency was confident that the app would be able to manage high user traffic, and according to Macozoma it had the ability to reconcile complaints that were related to the same issue. He added that the agency would embark on a campaign to inform the public about the new app.
He said that feedback and criticism were welcome, as this could influence future adjustments to the app.
Find&Fix is available on the Google Play store and Windows app store, while the iOS version is expected to be launched soon.
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