Students build left-hand driving app for foreigners

Students at Tepak have developed an app to help foreign drivers adjust to driving in Cyprus.

The simulation is designed to enable tourists and others to get used to driving on the left-hand side of the road prior to their arrival and incorporates “game-like” elements, according to its creators.

“Do you want to visit Cyprus? But the driving on the other side of the road scares you? Fear no more…” a promo for it reads.

“The goal of the app [Cy-Driver] is to raise the confidence and skills of users driving on the opposite side of the road [to what they are used to] thereby reducing the chances of tourists rejecting Cyprus as a destination,” Ekaterini Mavri, the project’s teaching director said.

Students working on the app collaborated with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism to develop it.

“The idea was to provide a small boost to tourism and car rental companies and some coupons for discounts to local businesses will also be available through the app,” Maria Charalambous, one of the students involved, told Omega News.

The students conducted their market and user research by interviewing car rental companies and police to get information on traffic accidents, particularly those involving tourists.

The most commonly-expressed fear by potential drivers and app-users was fear of roundabouts, according to a questionnaire.

“I believe this app could also be very helpful for learner drivers to develop and practice their skills,” another student involved in the project said.