Andy Wadge, Daniel Briffa and Ben Borg, three sixth-form students from De La Salle, are today’s modern heroes for parents and students alike. Joining forces with Arkafort, an IT company, to help them design the app, and as part of the JA Malta Foundation initiative, these three Maltese students have developed an app called ‘i-van’ that will track the live location of school transport in real-time. Think Bolt and Uber...but for students!

Whether you’re a student or a parent, this will be music to your ears. We have all seen (or were in this position ourselves) students waiting outside for a long period of time until their school transport arrives. This app will facilitate this process by letting you know exactly when the bus or minivan will arrive so that students do not have to wait in the rain or excruciating summer heat.

Interviewed on TVAM, the three students claimed that this dire situation for students is what sparked the idea and made them up their thinking hats on with the aim to make life easier for students.

The app will include a map to show the location of where the school transport is at that point in time. It will also show you whether the van or bus is stuck in traffic, as well as, notify you when the transport is set to arrive.

Van drivers can also benefit from this app as it will offer them the option to amend the route if a student is sick.

To kickstart this project, the app is set to launch after the Easter holidays and be used by only a few vans transporting students to De La Salle. The service will then be extended to the entire college.  However, the students intend on expanding it across Malta and Gozo so that all students can benefit from this great app!

Let everyone know about ‘i-van’!