By Mark Walsh, Tuam Herald
A YOUNG Claregalway man’s new app is making it easier for students to get home safely after a night out.
Richie Commins has created DASH to help students pay for their taxi fare, even if they don’t have any money or a phone on them. Over 8,000 students have already signed up for free to use the platform, which is also available for taxi drivers to download.
He is not in line to be an ambassador for Nissan, and is one of 20 finalists in their Generation Next competition. If he is successful, Richie will also be given the keys to a brand new taxed and insured Nissan car to drive for a year.
Richie started working on the DASH project, which stands for Driving All Students Home, a year and a half ago. The app works by allowing students to set up an online account on the www.projectdash.ie website, and from there they add their photo and ID and bank details to create their four-digit pin. This allows them to verify their identity by giving their name and pin to a taxi driver using the DASH app, who can then process the taxi fare when they arrive at the student’s destination.
“I got the idea for the app from personal experience and witnessing other students not having the physical means to sometimes pay for taxis after a night out,” said Richie, who went to secondary school in the Presentation College in Athenry.
“I decided to get a team together to help me with developing the app, creating the website, and doing research around Galway, like getting feedback from taxi drivers and students. Students are signing up because it gives them a way to get home safely without needing cash, a bank card or a phone.
“Taxi drivers and taxi companies are signing up because we are the only platform in the market and that ensures that they get paid even when the passenger has no cash or phone. Our platform is extremely scalable around the world,”
Richie finished his final year exams in Business Information Systems in NUI Galway a couple of weeks ago, and that has allowed him to now focus fully on the DASH project from his office space in the Portershed in Galway.
Backed by every student union in the country, Richie plans to do a nationwide launch in September and grow the app into UK universities next year. George Grama, a Romanian tech who has created similar taxi apps around Europe including Mondo Taxi and Star Taxi, has also come on board to help Richie out.
He has received a couple of awards for his work with the app this year. An award winner in the Ten Outstanding Young Persons run by JCI Galway, the DASH app also saw Richie recognised at the Online Marketing in Galway awards.
Members of the public can vote online for Richie and his project at www.nissangenerationnext.ie. until July 14.
