I sat on the judging panel for 2016 MasterCard Trip Hack event held in Old Street, London this weekend which focused on using the APIs from TfL, MasterCard and British Airways to create innovative new products and services.
This hack event brought together about 100 people from different disciplines to develop new digital ideas by using these APIs, with a chance to win £10,000 and access to a technology laboratory to develop their idea further. (See #TripHack on Twitter for some images and chat from the event.)
The judging panel were presented with 10 very different entries, including ideas on secure cycling parking and a proposed method to reduce the amount of luggage for visitors to carry on the Tube when they arrive at London’s airports.
The winning team, Flyto, created an airline-related proposal which would enable customers to pay for their flight in instalments. It was a strong concept addressing a customer pain point, particularly for the more expensive long-haul flights. There was also another very strong concept around reclaiming VAT for those international visitors eligible, with the result being less queues at airports.
Of course, some of the ideas were conceptual so more research was required, but overall the quality of the ideas, presentations and teamwork was excellent. Particular praise goes to the Flyto team, who met each other for the first time on Friday evening and delivered the winning pitch at 3pm on Sunday!
There are around 8,500 developers registered to use TfL’s Open Data, and with around 500 apps powered by using TfL’s data, these events directly support our aim to strive for new innovative products and services for London. Keep an eye out on this blog for news of similar events coming up in the future.
Well done to everyone involved over the weekend.
