Public transport ticketing app wins annual startup competition
Jiffi, an app-based public transportation ticketing system, has been selected as the winner of the annual young entrepreneurs competition Ajujaht (Brain Hunt), receiving a 30,000-euro award alongside recognition.
“Jiffi is a very simple way of paying for public transportation. It's a smartphone app communicating with devices we will place on vehicles, which let us know whether and when you are commuting. There's no need for separate check-ins,“ Jiffi's CEO Andres Osula explained in an interview to ETV.
The Bluetooth-dependent Jiffi is based on beacons placed on public transportation that detect the boarding and disembarking of travelers. The traveler is billed automatically upon exit, with pay-as-you-go plans and in-app mobile payments offered. The app promises better route planning, reduced boarding times and smarter pricing for travelers.
Noting Bluetooth's increasing security as a growing technology alongside WiFi, Osula expressed hopes for implementation of the system in Tallinn or Tartu come autumn.
The 10,000-euro second prize went to Huntloc, an app that gives hunters a complete overview of what’s going on in the hunt and allows silent communication. In third place with a 5,000-euro award was Hivescale, a smart system designed for beekeepers.
Ajujaht has previously served as the springboard for various Estonian start-ups, with Taxify, Click & Grow, Grillcube and Raybike amongst the awardees.
The competition, now in its ninth season, was set up in 2007 by Enterprise Estonia (EAS), a government agency promoting entrepreneurship in Estonia.
Editor: A. Kaer