A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Embedded and Mobile Systems Engineering of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology
Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC), a state-owned enterprise was established in 2011 to
champion the development of the Ugandan automotive value chain for job and wealth creation.
Kiira Motors Corporation has developed several electric vehicles on the African continent since
2011, key among them is the company’s market entry product; the Kayoola EVS, a fully
electric, low floor city bus with a passenger capacity of ninety-one.
Through the passenger security system, KMC sees to attain its core value of customer
satisfaction and solve issues like rampant insecurity of passengers and their property which are
not alien occurrences on commuter taxis and buses in many African cities. The system further
seeks to address, the spread of contagious diseases like COVID-19 and its risks to bus
passengers. And easen difficult, time consuming tasks like passenger counting,
measuring/recording temperatures, and collecting contact information.
The system data and requirements elicitation was conducted using techniques like surveys,
interviews, observation, literature review, webinars and desk research. These qualitative and
quantitative approaches were adopted to offer insight on passenger security and mass public
transport operations. A prototype of a comprehensive system comprising software and
hardware components like cameras, web and mobile applications, was developed and its units’
functionality tested in an office environment. The developed system denotes potential to ensure
security on the Kayoola EVS bus. It also implies averting spread of contagious diseases, timely
capture of contact tracing records plus easier management and accountability for the numbers
of passengers on buses.