Design and Implementation of an Online Bus Ticketing System (A Case Study of Sokoto State Transport Authority)
Chapter One
Aim and Objectives
This project aims to develop an online bus ticketing system for the Sokoto state transport authority to satisfy a facility of all transactions online with effectiveness to achieve the below objectives:
- To investigate and analyze the problems with the existing e-ticketing systems provided by individual bus operators.
- To identify the relevant features of various components, and methods needed for the Online Bus Ticketing System web portal and to assist bus operators operations and marketing decisions through timely decision-making via the Management Information System through the deployment of Online Bus Ticketing System web portal and the phasing out of manual ticketing system.
- To enable passengers to check the availability of the bus ticket, and check the time of departure and arrival for every Transnational bus online through the system.
- To provide a passenger with a web-based bus ticket functions that enable passengers to reserve/book bus tickets through the online system and no need to queue up at the counter.
- To enable a customer to cancel/postpone a booked ticket and also rate a driver after travelling with the company bus.
- To ease the bus ticket payment online using a Credit Card (e.g. Master Card, Visa Card, Interswitch and Verve card) or bank payment by presenting a bank payment teller during the process of registration.
- To minimize the number of staff at the ticket box and the counter.
CHAPTER TWO:
LITRETURE REVIEW
Introduction
This chapter discus the facts and finding on electronic ticketing or e-ticketing system and review of related literature to the system.
Management Information System
A Management Information System, or MIS, is a computer-based system that optimizes the collection, transfer, and presentation of information throughout an organization by using an integrated structure of databases and information flow (Long & Long, 2004). MIS combines the theoretical work of computer science, management science, and operations research with a practical orientation toward developing system solutions to real-world problems and managing information technology resources (Kenneth & Laudon, 2004).
MIS is also seen as a system collecting and analyzing data and producing reports. It purpose is to help managers to solve structured problems. But it should also fulfill a number of other purposes (Adriana, 2003):
1. It should provide a basis to analyze warning signals that can originate both externally and internally; this is the main function of data base;
2. It should automate routine operations thus avoiding human work in the processing tasks;
3. It should assist management in making routine decisions;
4. It should provide the information necessary to make non-routine decisions;
5. It should serve as a strategic weapon to gain competitive advantages.
There are numerous definitions of MIS, for the purpose of this research, MIS can be defined as a system providing bus operator management with accurate and timely information necessary to facilitate the decision-making process and enable the bus operator’s planning, control, and operational functions to be carried out effectively. By doing so, MIS will increase competitiveness
between bus operators, reducing cost and improving processing speed.
E-Commerce
E-Commerce stands for Electronic Commerce. E-Commerce is often thought as simply as buying and selling using the internet. It involves more than mediated financial transactions between organizations and customers (Chaffey, 2004).
E-commerce is the sharing of business information, maintaining business relationships, and conducting business transactions by means of telecommunications networks. In today’s business environment, where the operational boundaries between firms have become fluid, it is often both pragmatically and analytically unfruitful to separate inter-organizational and intra-organizational business processes. Therefore, E-commerce includes the sell-buy relationships and transactions between companies, as well as the corporate processes that support the commerce within individual companies (Zwass, 1996).
CHAPTER THREE:
SYSTEM ANALYSIS
Introduction
System Analysis is a phase which is conducted before the development of the Online Bus Ticketing System web portal. System Analysis shows the requirement or a description of the needs and desires for an information system. A requirement may describe functions, features, and constraints. Thus, system requirement defines the services provided by the system and prescribes constraints for its operation (Whitten, 2002). There are two types of requirement, functional requirement and non-functional requirement. Both these requirements will be discussed later in the chapter, but before that It is important to fulfill the planning for the implementation phase. This
can only be done if proper methodology is selected. Methodology is important to make sure all project life cycle activities are being carried out without any shortcuts. Methodology helps the system developers to take one step at a time towards accomplishing the full system.
Research Methodology
The methodology that might be useful is the project life cycle and prototype. The project life cycle methodology and prototyping is a methodology that allows users to review all phases until the users are satisfied with the Online Bus Ticketing System web portal. The figure 3.1 shows the waterfall model methodology.
CHAPTER FOUR:
SYSTEM DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING
Introduction
This chapter is on system design which is completed before the development of the Online Bus Ticketing System web portal. System design is defined as those tasks that focus on the specification of the detailed computer-based solution (Whitten, 2002). The purpose of the design
phase is to transform the system requirements statement from the requirements analysis phase into design specifications for construction.
CHAPTER FIVE:
CONCLUSION
Introduction
This chapter discusses on the outcome of this entire project, limitations of the project and last but not least the future outcome of this project. Finally, this chapter concludes WITH various issues that had been highlighted in the earlier chapters. Knowledge in terms of concept, theory, technical and practical aspects on Online Bus Ticketing System web portal had been gained.
Limitations of the project
There were few constraints that had been encountered during completing the research document. The first constrain was the inability to find any research document obtaining information on star ranking for bus operators. It was difficult to acquire any information on this
area because there are no any governing bodies that award ratings to bus drivers as how hotels and airliners are rated. It is discovered there are none of the bus e-ticketing sites offers star ranking for any of its bus operators.
The second constraint was on the information gathered from the public on e-ticketing in Nigeria. It is difficult to have a perfect percentage of statistics constructed. The opinion responded by public during data gathering process is too subjective and how genuine the opinion is
questionable. The existence of e-ticketing in Nigeria is still new for many and those who have the knowledge of e-ticketing still do not fully utilize the services.
Outcomes of the project
Based on the research objective that has been stated in the earlier chapter the following are the achievements:
The first objective has been successfully completed, which is to investigate and analyze the problems on the existing e-ticketing systems provided by individual bus operators. The problems of existing e-ticketing are clearly stated in Chapter 2 where a thorough study had been
conducted by investigating existing bus e-ticketing systems in Nigeria and overseas.
Further improvement had been identified that need to be done on the existing bus eticketing systems. The next objective is to identify the relevant features of various components and methods needed for an Online Bus Ticketing web portal. This objective has been highlighted clearly in Chapter 3 that includes the improvements needed on the existing e-ticketing systems through interviews and surveys. Based on the suggested information gathered, the relevant features of various components and methods needed for an Online Bus Ticketing System web portal is designed. This objective is also to assist bus operators operations and marketing decision through timely decision making via Management Information System. The system allows the system staff to generate up to date reports, user logs, driver rates, activity logs from the system for future decision making.
The next objective identifies the improvements needed on the existing e-ticketing systems through interviews and surveys. With the suggested information gathered, the relevant Features of various components and methods needed for an Online Bus Ticketing System web portal is designed. This objective explains on the development of an Online Bus Ticketing System web portal. The tools and methodology used, user requirements and other issues on designing the system are discussed.
The remaining objectives identifiers the futures such as ticket cancel, online payment, ticket postponement etc. for customers base on the propose system to ease ticketing activities. The suggested feature was gathered from chapter 2 Reviews on the existing online ticketing system, these relevant features for proposed system were implemented.
Conclusion
Online Bus Ticketing System web portal is a system with its own strengths and limitations. A through study and implementation of an Online Bus Ticketing System web portal had been conducted. An investigation on some bus e-ticketing sites in Nigeria and overseas had also been conducted, and the discovery that there are not many of these sites offers a collaborated bus operators services and none has an awarding star ranking to their bus drivers, which will be considered a niche and vital information to the customers and the company in general. Thus, an introduction of the Online Bus Ticketing web portal that collaborates all staff and star ranking feature for bus drivers in Nigeria as well as creating convenience to bus users, conducting virtual business transaction more efficiently, and over the Internet, which has already become a crucial part of our daily lives.
Overall, Online Bus Ticketing System web portal has been successfully built and has achieved and fulfilled the objectives and requirements that are stated in the project proposal. The use of web-based approach bring along many benefits include the ability to access information
anywhere and at any time of the day.
There is room for improvement on the suggested guidelines, study and implementation of Online Bus Ticketing System web portal. An important challenge is by providing awareness about a collaborated web portal of Online Bus Ticketing System in Nigeria and the introduction of star ranking for all bus drivers in Nigeria. This will help to improve the country’s bus transport service industry by offering the best service in terms of performance, security and safety.
Finally, the useful information provided by the respondents towards the completion of this project document is greatly appreciated.
Future Work of the Research
Some of the future work of the research for this Online Bus Ticketing web portal that can be taken into consideration are:
(a) Enhanced User Interface
The user interface of the system can be enhanced to be more attractive, impressive and interactive when this web portal is converted to a real-time system.
(b) Increase Administrators Task Administrator’s task can be further enhanced to include more features to ease maintenance
process. For example, analytical tools, data mining, other relevant reports and database backup are recommended to be included in this Online Bus Ticketing web portal to provide more analytical function to the company.
(c) Common working community
The system can also be a “newsletter” to all employers and employees who are related to bus transportation in Nigeria. Various information or news can be displayed to the targeted audience such as employment availability, staff news and so on.
(d) Staff Management
The staff management can also be included to generate staff attendance, promotions, and salary and so on.
(e) Choice of Desired Bus seat
The customer can also have opportunity to select a desired seat of particular bus of route to travel.
(f) Bus Renting
The system should allow a customer that travelled 20 times or some extinct with SSTA to rent bus from a company.
REFERENCES
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- Audrey, E., (2006). the Star ranking, Retrieve From http://www.aldergrovestar.com/obituaries/ 19th July 2014 10:00am
- Chaffey, D., (2004). E- Business and E- Commerce Management, 2nd Ed, Pearson, 2004, Pp. 7 -44
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- Dougles E. C., (2001). Computer networks and internets with internet application, Prentice Hall, 2001.
- Fowler, M., (2002). “Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture”. Addison Wesley.
- Gemino, A. & Parker, D., (2009). “Use case diagrams in support of use case modeling: Deriving understanding from the picture”,
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