About the challenge

Durham College's Faculty of Business and IT is excited welcome you to its second annual hackathon, hosted on March 14th @ 9am and finishing March 15th @ 4pm, 2026. This event aims to empower all students to solve community challenges with innovative and creative technology solutions. Participants will have the chance to achieve things they may not have thought possible, gaining hands-on experience in coding, design, and problem-solving. Over a 24-hour period you will engage in a marathon of creativity and collaboration, where small teams will work together to develop solutions that have potential to make a significant impact on the community. 

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Problem Statement Suggestions:

Unsure of what to do, or want more direction? Here are some suggestions on ways to go. Suggested API's and data to pull from will be provided by the end of February.

1. Understanding Real Route Performance What if riders could see how reliably their route actually performs and plan with confidence? How might we transform schedule data into actionable insights that empower riders to make smarter travel decisions?

2. Making Transfers More Successful Imagine effortless transfers where riders know their connections will work. How might we help riders discover and choose reliable connection options between DRT and GO Transit?

3. Predicting Bus Crowding What if riders could plan their trip knowing whether they'll have a comfortable seat or need to catch the next bus? How might we help riders anticipate demand and travel during times that work best for them?

4. Identifying Service Gaps Buses arriving in bunches means uneven service for riders. How might we reveal patterns in service delivery that could help create more consistent, evenly-spaced transit throughout the day?

5. Mapping Stop Amenities Each bus stop offers a different waiting experience. How might we help riders discover which stops have the amenities they need and make every wait more comfortable?

6. Finding Underserved Areas Transit can be a bridge to jobs, healthcare, and services. How might we illuminate where improved transit access could have the greatest positive impact on people's lives?

7. Listening to Rider Feedback Riders share valuable insights every day on social media and online communities. How might we capture and understand these authentic experiences to continuously improve transit?

8. Measuring Weather Impact Weather affects everyone's commute. How might we help riders and operators better understand and prepare for weather impacts on specific routes?

9. Analyzing Route Efficiency Great routes balance speed, coverage, and convenience. How might we measure what makes routes work well and identify opportunities to make good routes even better?

10. Simplifying Transit for New Riders Every regular rider was once a first-timer. How might we create an inviting, easy-to-understand transit experience that encourages more people to choose public transportation?

12. Promoting Courtesy and Safety Riders sometimes experience discourtesy, conflicts, or unsafe situations at stops and on buses. How might we encourage positive behaviors and build a culture of respect and consideration among transit users?

13. Optimizing Maintenance Parts Availability

• Based on available historical bus parts requirements, build an application that supports the maintenance department by predicting future requirements, allowing us to optimize availability of transit parts to support maintenance activities and thus maximize fleet availability.

14. Forecasting Maintenance Activities and Parts Requirements

• Based on known preventative maintenance intervals and planned monthly service distances, build a forecasting tool to determine planned PM activities.  Forecast parts requirements based on this PM information and suggest bundling of parts based on these planned activities.

• Technology
  How technically impressive was the hack? Was the technical problem the team tackled difficult? Did the technology involved make you go "Wow"? What data and API's were used?
• Design
  Did the team put thought into the user experience? How well designed is the interface? (e.g. is it easy to use or does it use a cool interface?).
• Completion
  Does the hack work? Did the team achieve everything they wanted?
• Learning
  Did the team stretch themselves? Did they try to learn something new? What kind of projects have they worked on before? Exploration is rewarded.