Startup Idea: Commute Time Predictor for Future Appointments

Startup idea to develop an app or website that predicts the commute time for pre-scheduled appointments. The user inputs their starting and ending points, along with the day and time of their journey. The software then analyzes past traffic and travel times for similar journeys, providing an estimated travel time given the appointment's specifics. Additional factors such as local school schedules should be accommodated within the prediction algorithm.

For appointments scheduled in advance, I’d like a way to figure out what the likely commute would be. For example, I have to go see a doctor across town in a week, for an appointment scheduled at 9am. Using google maps to figure out how to get there he night before is no use, because at 9pm the traffic is MUCH different from the traffic at 9am. Similarly, the time my journey will take on a Sunday is different from the same journey on a Tuesday, or a Saturday.

I would like an app or website where I could enter my starting and ending points, then the day and time that I will be making the journey. The app/site would then look at past comparable journey times, and give me the time my trip will take now, and the time it will take when I need to leave. So, my trip across town for the doctor might take 20 minutes if I leave at 8pm on a Sunday, but if I need to get there for 9am on Monday, the trip will take an hour. This would reduce both lateness and arriving 30 minutes early, both of which are annoying and unproductive.

I’d also appreciate if there was a flag for whether local schools were in session and whether the journey will be taken during drop off/pick up. That way I could alter my route accordingly. I googled around but not seriously. I solve the problem now by using google maps at a similar time and making a guess (for an appointment on a Wednesday morning, I’ll use google maps on Tuesday morning and assume that traffic is similar). This isn’t super helpful for same-day appointments, or those with either a really short or really long lead time.

Submitter: Rosemary Matthews; (view contact info)