How an automated system can help tourism transport thrive

In Lisbon’s busy streets, tuk tuk companies have been slow to adapt to the digital age. Many rely on what researchers consider outdated and error-prone manual processes for managing their fleets of tourist transport vehicles. Research published in the International Journal of Business Information Systems could help them navigate their way to a more efficient and effective future.

Eduarda Perdigão and Bráulio Alturas of the Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, in Lisbon, Portugal, have focused on how a tailored information system that could transform the daily management of companies such as Citytuk, one of the popular guided tour services in Lisbon

Previously, tuk tuk companies relied on drivers to fill out daily service sheets by hand. This data was then transcribed manually into a central system by managers. Such an approach is inherently slow and prone to mistakes.

For a growing business in the competitive tourism sector, such inefficiencies are not sustainable, the team suggests. The researchers have now identified an opportunity to enhance productivity and improve decision-making by replacing the manual process with a more streamlined, automated system.

The result of this research is Tuksy, a new application designed to simplify and modernize tuk tuk operations. Tuksy consists of two components: a mobile app for drivers to input service data directly, and a desktop app for managers to track and analyze that data in real-time. This digital solution eliminates the need for paper records, and so reduces errors and frees up valuable time for both drivers and managers.

The system represents more than just a solution for one company’s operational challenges; it represents a model for how other small businesses in the tourism sector might embrace technology and boost their efficiency.