UWM Boss App
Different mobile screens of the app
Creating a new (rider) account from the home page, showing it being added in the database
Logging into the new rider account and seeing the Rider's dashboard
Editing the new account from their dashboard - the current password needs to be entered to save changes
Creating a supervisor (only admins can do this), seeing their dashboard and editing our rider user
Supervisor settings page where they can edit their account and see the TOS
Creating a Driver user as a Supervisor
Creating a van where we can specify the van number and ADA compliance
Now as a rider we can request a ride and the system will assign a driver and van!
Now, as the assigned driver we can end the ride when its completed using the secure code the rider has
Both riders and drivers can file a report on any completed rides if something goes wrong
Supervisors can view all reports and take action accordingly!
A full-stack mobile transportation app developed as part of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Senior Capstone program. BOSS (Be On the Safe Side) is UWM’s late-night ride service for students, serving 25,000+ students. Our 6-person team (assigned randomly) rebuilt the app from the ground up using Agile methodology with React Native and Django REST to solve critical user safety and accessibility challenges in the existing campus transportation system.
The existing app had several major pain points: inaccurate queue time estimates left students waiting without updates, no communication channel between drivers and passengers made coordinating pickups or delays impossible, inadequate incident reporting meant safety concerns went unaddressed, unclear ADA compliance prevented passengers with disabilities from confidently using the service, and insecure ride completion allowed wrong-location dropoffs.
Our solution implemented real-time queue position tracking so riders always know their place in line, in-app driver-passenger messaging with automatic dispatch logging for safety oversight, a comprehensive incident reporting system accessible to both drivers and riders with one-click report creation, explicit ADA-compliant vehicle categories with request toggles for accessibility needs, and a drop-off verification system requiring driver-entered codes that only the rider possesses to confirm ride completion.
The app includes distinct user roles - Riders, Drivers, and Supervisors - each with tailored dashboards and features. Riders can request rides, track status in real-time, and message drivers; Drivers can view their assigned rides, communicate with riders, and end rides securely with unique codes; Supervisors can manage all users and vehicles, generate ride reports, view all incident reports, and monitor ride activity in real time.
The project was thoroughly documented with a public GitHub repo and a multi-part showcase video covering the full system, from logging in and managing users, to creating vans and processing rides. Although the app is no longer hosted live, it can be cloned and run locally via Expo for the frontend and Django for the backend.
Technologies Used:
Frontend:
React Native, Expo, AsyncStorage
Backend:
Django, Django REST Framework
Database:
SQLite (dev), PostgreSQL (production)
Other Tools:
Agile/Scrum methodology, Trello Project Board, mobile device emulation, secure login, role-based permissions, report generation, real-time updates
About the project
Showcasing all functionality
About the source code and technologies used
Conclusion