Forming an opportunity belief

There is definitely an unmet need for the bus system that runs through the University of Florida campus. Majority of the University of Florida community, including students, professors, workers, and others, have all experienced the unreliability of the bus systems. This untrustworthy system is causing the members of the UF community to be late to their destinations. This issue has not been around forever. The UF population and campus is constantly growing and expanding. The campus as a whole is getting more and more crowded, which in turn is having a negative impact on the bussing systems. Busses are having to travel longer distances to get places. They are forced to wait at crosswalks longer as more students are crossing streets on their ways to classes. The "Rider" app was invented to help people coordinate themselves with bus times. However, the app is now providing arrival times that users, including myself, can no longer trust. I believe there is a great opportunity to improve here. By adding more busses and bus routes, I think this issue can quickly be resolved.

1. Freshman student with no mode of personal transportation

• Have you experienced issues trusting the bus systems here on UF's campus?

 "No doubt in my mind. I do not even try to use the busses anymore because it is just a waste of time."

• When did you first experience issues with busses?

"Right when I got to UF in the beginning of the year. At first I thought it was because I was a freshman and didn't know much about the busses. However, I was told the Rider App would help me keep track of what times all the busses were coming, but they never came at the times that the app gave me."

• How are you dealing with this issue?

"I haven't really done anything about it. I don't think I can even really do anything about it. This seems like something that UF has to fix on their own."

• Has this method worked for you?

"Not at all. I know plenty of other people that complain about the busses yet we have not seen UF do anything to improve them. 

2. Junior that owns a car and lives on Fraternity Row

• Have you experienced issues trusting the bus systems here on UF's campus?

"I've been dealing with these issues for the past three years. They have only gotten worse too. 

• Does having a car on campus help do what the busses can't for you?

"You would think. Being that parking a car on campus is so difficult, I still try to take the bus to some of my classes."

• How are you dealing with the issue?

"I've learned over the past couple years that some of the busses are more reliable than others. There are a couple busses that are on time that I use during the week. For the ones that aren't, I usually just end up walking. 

• Is this method working for you? 

"I wouldn't exactly say that it is working. Think about it. I have a car and there are supposedly busses available yet I still find myself walking to class a couple days a week. It doesn't make much sense to me.

3. Sophomore that owns a scooter 

• Have you experienced issues trusting the bus systems here on UF's campus?

"That is why I have a scooter. I thought I would be able to use the busses throughout my years here to get to classes. I ended up having to buy a scooter because the busses were so unreliable."

• How long did it take before you bought the scooter?

"I put up with the busses for about two months. I got too fed up with it and my parents ended up buying me a scooter."

• How did you deal with the issue before you got your scooter?

"I didn't really do much. The only thing I could do was walk to where I needed to be. I also called Ubers sometimes."

• Did that method work for you?

"No not really. The Ubers were adding up and getting way too expensive. I was walking several miles a day which don't get me wrong was probably good for me, but it just got extremely annoying."

Reflection: I interviewed three students. They were all different ages and they all had different modes of transportation. I became aware that this issue is a problem for almost all students. It did not matter what age. It also did not matter that two of the three students had a scooter and a car. They still suffered from the untrustworthy busses. You'd think that by having busses, students would not need scooters. Turns out it was the opposite. The unreliable busses actually made it necessary for some students to purchase scooters. 

Summary: The original opportunity is still there and the three interviews back that up. I believe that my opportunity is definitely more accurate than when I started because now I know for a fact that these unreliable busses are affecting students of all ages, and even costing students money. As an entrepreneur, you aim to satisfy your customers. Therefore, customer feedback is extremely important because it gives business owners insight on what they do and do not like.