Arabnet Arabnet

Wasalny is a very useful app developed in Egypt to combat one of the most frustrating daily problems: being stuck in traffic jams. 

The app is based on crowdsourcing, where users manually issue traffic reports and share them on the app’s network. They can also use the “driving mode,” where the app automatically publishes reports by tracking cars’ movements using GPS signals.

The idea to develop Wasalny started in 2010, when Mohammad Jamal, Head of Marketing and Business Development at the company, and his team felt the need to make use of the advanced technology and the high mobile and internet penetration in Egypt to solve one of society’s daily problems. “Traffic was the first thing we thought about, and we decided to offer users a tool that they can use inside their cars and on their smartphones to warn other drivers about crowded streets. After much hard work, we launched the app on October 10, 2010.”

The app has 405,622 users inside Egypt, growing at about 100,000 users a month. Over 1.7 million reports were issued using the app. Driving time while using the app averages 12,127 hours a month; during which cars travel around 420,000 kilometers a month. Up to 33,692 images were uploaded in total, and around 1,800 are added each month. These numbers show its effectiveness and wide-spread use.

More about Wasalny

The app is practical and easy to use. It provides users with all necessary information to avoid traffic jams. It also allows users to easily add any information they know about roads and share it with others to help them avoid traffic jams, construction work, accidents, etc. Moreover, the app analyzes users’ reports and generates a 3D map with color codes, from green to red, depending on the state of the street.

The user interface looks good and organized. The app, which is integrated with Instagram and Foursquare, has several useful features, including saving favorite routes and estimating time of arrival; as well as interactive features, including taking images of streets, recording voice reports, and sharing on social media.

After its success in Egypt, Wasalny launched a new edition for Kuwait as part of its strategy to expand into GCC and a start to its strategic goal to cover GCC and North Africa countries. “We project millions of new smartphone users,” said Jamal. “All of them are potential users of the app, which would create a lot of buzz on social media.”

Wasalny is available, both in Arabic and English, on Android, Windows Phone, Black Berry and iOS.