HopOn™
Code name Transity™ - Shared Transit Platform for Long - Distance & Tourist Travel
DESCRIPTION
HopOn™ is a shared transit platform designed to make long-distance travel more affordable, transparent, and efficient by allowing drivers to publish planned journeys and riders to join them along the same route.
Unlike on-demand ride-hailing services, HopOn focuses on scheduled, destination-based travel. Drivers define public pickup and drop-off points, available seating, luggage capacity, and pricing in advance, while riders discover and book trips that already align with their travel plans. The experience is optimized for intercity routes commonly used by tourists and locals, such as Colombo to southern coastal towns or major regional hubs.
The product was intentionally designed to scale beyond private cars, supporting vans, minibuses, and even public transport operators within the same system.
CONTEXT
In early 2020, Sri Lanka was experiencing a strong tourism surge, with increasing demand for intercity travel. While platforms like Uber and PickMe addressed short, on-demand trips effectively, they were poorly suited for longer, planned journeys. Travelers either had to rent entire vehicles at high cost or rely on rigid public transport options with limited comfort and visibility.
HopOn™ was conceived to bridge this gap by treating travel as a published plan rather than an instant request. The system enables drivers who are already traveling long distances to share unused capacity, reducing individual travel costs, while riders gain access to flexible, affordable options without committing to full vehicle hires.
Special emphasis was placed on trust, safety, and clarity through public pickup points, identity verification, transparent pricing, and structured communication - making shared travel feel predictable and socially acceptable. The project progressed through full UX design and early development but was ultimately paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which fundamentally changed travel behavior and safety expectations around shared rides.