Students design ride-sharing program for NYC

| Jul 20, 2017 | admin

How do you double the size of a workforce without adding cars to the building’s parking lot?

That’s the problem that four Fordham University students, including Shravan Wadhwa, BS ’19, set out to solve this summer.

Along with 13 other students from institutions across New York City, they spent three weeks researching and designing a ride-sharing program for the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation as part of the DO School’s Innovate NYC program.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard houses more than 300 businesses and is in the midst of an expansion project, which makes it hard to manage the influx of people while keeping its commitment to sustainability. Over the course of the program, students worked with subject matter experts, stakeholders, and DO School staff to investigate how ride-sharing could work for this community.

Last month, students presented their plan, consisting of a pilot phase, expansion through reward schemes, and eventual integration into an existing Brooklyn Navy Yard app.

Not only did the students find a creative solution, but they also came away with skills that will prepare them for their eventual career searches.

Jeffrey French, a DO School senior administrator, said that Innovate NYC is “equipping tomorrow’s community changemakers with the skills they need to have impact.”

Just as important, French says, are the connections and bonds the participants formed throughout the program. Despite the range of experience levels of undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of institutions, every student had a major role to play in the project.

“You really get to see the full diversity of New York City come together in a magical way,” French reflects.