RBC Hackathon 2025 — Halifax, Nova Scotia

Your community
commute, connected

LOOP is a community-powered shared-ride platform tackling transportation poverty in Halifax. Built during a hackathon, it connects riders who need affordable, reliable transportation with drivers already making similar journeys — turning empty car seats into pathways to opportunity.

Team Alex Barr · Jenille Cheney · Gregory Drew · Curtis Ferguson · Anne Wambaire Mwangi
Role Data & Business Analyst
Stack React · GTFS-RT · Google Maps API
Focus Business Model · Impact Analysis
Region Halifax Regional Municipality
01 — The Problem

The Urban Disconnect

In Halifax, rapid population growth has outpaced transportation infrastructure. The result is a mobility crisis that hits hardest in low-income communities — where unreliable transit, long commutes, and the prohibitive cost of car ownership create an invisible barrier to economic opportunity.

🚗

Car Dependency Trap

75–81.5% of Halifax commuters drive to work. Traffic congestion increased 30% above free-flow in 2024, with 28 severely congested days between August and October — up from just 6 in 2019.

⏱️

The "Time Tax"

Transit commuters face an average 44-minute commute versus 25 minutes by car. This time penalty falls disproportionately on low-income residents who depend on public transit for essential travel.

🗺️

Transit Deserts

Spryfield, Dartmouth North, and Preston face significant service gaps. Suspended express routes (41, 78, 179) have stranded communities that were already underserved — creating "dynamic transit deserts."

💰

Affordability Crisis

Car ownership costs exceed $5,270/year before financing. For households below $49,000 income, that consumes over 10% of gross income — forcing an impossible choice between money and time.

503K
HRM Population (2024)
13.3%
Poverty Rate
25.6 min
Avg. Commute Time
30%
Congestion Level
Who Is LOOP For?

Built for Real Routines, Real People

LOOP isn't for everyone — it's for people whose lives run on routines. Same workplace, same school drop-off, same clinic appointment every Tuesday. If you're already making that trip, LOOP turns your empty seats into community impact.

🌿

The Eco-Conscious Commuter

You care about the environment and want to reduce your carbon footprint — but you also want to offset some of the costs of driving. LOOP lets you do both: fewer single-occupancy trips on Halifax roads, and money back in your pocket from sharing a ride you're already taking.

🔁

The Routine Rider

You go to the same place at the same time, every day — work, school, clinic. LOOP is built for recurring commutes, not spontaneous trips. Set your route once, get matched with drivers on the same schedule, and turn an unpredictable commute into something you can count on.

🤝

The Community Builder

You're tired of commuting alone. LOOP transforms the daily grind into an opportunity to meet neighbours, share conversations, and build friendships. Profiles, bios, and shared rides turn strangers into familiar faces — your commute becomes your community.

02 — Business Model

How LOOP Creates Value

LOOP operates as a social enterprise with a transparent platform-fee model. Every transaction fuels a virtuous cycle: riders get affordable rides, drivers offset costs, and the platform sustains itself to serve the community.

The LOOP Transaction Flow

1

Rider Tops Up Wallet

Flexible top-up model (no rigid subscriptions). Maria adds $15–$20 when she can — providing financial dignity and budgeting control for variable-income households.

2

Ride is Matched & Completed

The matching algorithm pairs riders with drivers on similar routes. A fixed, transparent fare of ~$3.50 per trip is deducted from the rider's wallet upon completion.

3

Revenue is Distributed

LOOP retains a 15% platform fee ($0.52). The remaining 85% ($2.98) goes directly to the driver — offsetting their existing commute costs for fuel, insurance, and maintenance.

4

Platform Reinvests

Platform fees fund server infrastructure, API licensing, safety systems, community growth, and feature development — creating a self-sustaining ecosystem.

💵 Fare Distribution per Trip

$2.98
$0.52
Driver Payout (85%)
Platform Fee (15%)

The $3.50 fare keeps rides affordable for low-income riders while providing meaningful cost-offset for drivers. This balance is the engine of LOOP's community-powered model.

🏗️ Three Revenue Pillars

Transaction Fees
15% per completed ride — the core, scalable revenue stream that grows with every new rider-driver pair.
Employer Partnerships
Subsidized commute programs for businesses in Burnside, Bayers Lake, and downtown BIDs — expanding the EPass/UPass model to corporate partners.
Municipal Subsidies
First-mile/last-mile subsidy contracts: the municipality pays LOOP to connect transit desert residents to high-frequency transit hubs, at a fraction of new bus-route costs.
03 — Cost Analysis

The Affordability Equation

For a household earning under $49,000, the choice between car ownership and transit is an impossible trade-off between money and time. LOOP introduces a third option that breaks the trap.

Cost Component Private Vehicle Halifax Transit Pass Affordable Access Pass LOOP (Daily Commute)
Fare / Fuel $2,624 $1,080 $540 $1,820
Insurance $1,100 — — —
Maintenance $1,500 — — —
Registration & Fees $47 — — —
Avg. Commute Time ~25 min ~44 min ~44 min ~28 min
Total Annual Cost $5,271+ $1,080 $540 ~$1,820

* LOOP annual estimate based on $3.50 × 2 trips/day × 260 working days. Private vehicle costs exclude financing, depreciation, and parking. Halifax Transit and Affordable Access figures from HRM 2025 published fare schedules.

The LOOP Value Proposition

LOOP occupies the strategic middle ground. It costs roughly 65% less than car ownership while delivering near-car commute times (~28 minutes vs. 25 for private vehicles). Compared to transit, it costs more than the subsidized pass but dramatically reduces the 19-minute "time tax" that transit-dependent commuters pay every single trip. For a household earning $49,000, LOOP saves over $3,400/year compared to a car — money that stays in the community for rent, food, and education.

04 — Social Impact

Return on Community Investment

LOOP's impact is measured not just in revenue, but in the economic, social, and environmental dividends it generates for the Halifax community.

Economic Empowerment

Breaking the Affordability Trap

Reliable rides enable on-time arrivals, protecting wages and opening access to jobs in Burnside, Bayers Lake, and the downtown core. Drivers earn a cost-offset of ~$150/month by sharing empty seats on commutes they already make.

Antidote to Urban Isolation

Shared rides build social capital — daily conversations between neighbours replace the anonymity of solo commuting. Profiles, ratings, and community bios foster trust and connection, directly addressing what Statistics Canada identifies as rising loneliness across Canadian cities.

Environmental Sustainability

Fewer Cars, Cleaner Air

Every filled seat is potentially one less car on the road. At scale, LOOP directly contributes to HalifACT 2050's climate targets by reducing single-occupancy vehicle trips, lowering carbon emissions, and easing the congestion that already costs Halifax commuters 30% in extra travel time.

Access to Opportunity

First-Mile/Last-Mile Solution

LOOP bridges transit deserts — connecting residents in Spryfield, Dartmouth North, and Preston to high-frequency transit corridors and employment hubs. It transforms postal codes from barriers into starting points, ensuring opportunity isn't limited by geography.

05 — The App

LOOP MVP — Hackathon Prototype

A fully functional React prototype demonstrating the complete rider journey — from login to trip completion. Built with a state-machine navigation pattern and embedded CSS for zero-dependency reliability.

LOOP Logo
Brand Identity — Infinity-loop wordmark symbolizing continuous community connection
Login Screen
Login — Clean, focused onboarding with demo profile
Home Screen
Home Screen — Destination picker, wallet balance, map, and arrival time in one view
Set Arrival Time
Time Picker — Pre-schedule commutes by desired arrival time
Match Found - Driver
Match Found — Driver profile, vehicle info, ETA, and co-passengers visible
Passenger Profile
Passenger Profile — Tap to view co-rider ratings and bios for transparency
Ride in Progress
Ride Active — Safety passphrase, live map, and trip status
Trip Complete
Trip Complete — Transparent receipt with cost deduction and updated balance

Safety by Design

🔐 Safety Passphrase

Unique randomized code (e.g., "OCEAN-SKY-7") generated per trip for identity verification at pickup.

👥 Co-Passenger Visibility

See who else is in the car before accepting — profiles, ratings, and bios build trust before the ride.

✅ Driver Verification

License, registration, insurance, and background checks required. Verified badge displayed on profiles.

♀️ Women-Only Filter

Option to filter for women drivers and passengers, creating safer ride environments for vulnerable users.

06 — Roadmap & Technology

From Prototype to Platform

The hackathon MVP proves the concept. The production roadmap scales it into a self-sustaining mobility ecosystem integrated with Halifax's existing transit infrastructure.

Phase 1 — MVP (Completed)

Hackathon Proof of Concept

Full rider journey in React with state-machine navigation, embedded CSS, simulated matching, wallet system, safety passphrase, and co-passenger profiles. Demonstrated at RBC Hackathon 2025.

Phase 2 — Backend & Matching

Intelligent Ride Matching Engine

PostgreSQL or Firestore backend for user profiles, ride history, and transactions. Build the matching algorithm: geographic proximity, time-window overlap, capacity, and user safety preferences. Integrate Stripe for wallet top-ups and automated driver payouts.

Phase 3 — Real-Time Integration

Live Maps & GTFS-RT

Replace placeholder maps with Mapbox/Google Maps for live GPS tracking. Integrate Halifax Transit's GTFS-RT feeds for real-time bus positions and service alerts — enabling LOOP to serve as a true first-mile/last-mile complement to public transit.

Phase 4 — Growth & Partnerships

Employer Programs & Municipal Contracts

Launch subsidized employer commute programs in Burnside and downtown BIDs. Pilot first-mile/last-mile subsidy contracts with HRM for transit desert zones. Develop native iOS and Android apps. Build anonymized trip-data feedback loop for municipal transit planning.

Technology Stack

React
JavaScript (ES6+)
CSS-in-JS
State Machine Pattern
GTFS-RT API
Google Maps Routes API
Protocol Buffers
Stripe (Planned)
PostgreSQL (Planned)
WebSockets (Planned)
Mapbox (Planned)
07 — References

Data Sources & Citations