Interview with Jaya Bhura, Co-founder and Director of Chakraview, School Bus Safety System

An exclusive interview with Jaya Bhura, Co-founder and Director of Chakraview, School Bus Safety System

We are honored to have the opportunity to interview Ms. Jaya Bhura, the Co-founder and Director of Chakraview, a pioneering startup that is making waves in the realm of child safety during school commutes. With a profound commitment to addressing the practical concerns of parents, Chakraview has developed a cutting-edge School Bus Safety System, leveraging innovative app-based technology.

Ms. Bhura, with her visionary leadership, has played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of Chakraview, ensuring the seamless integration of technology and safety measures for the peace of mind of parents and the well-being of children. Today, we delve into Ms. Bhura’s insights, experiences, and the impactful journey she and her team have undertaken to redefine school bus safety.

Can you provide an overview of Chakraview Solutions and the inspiration behind creating an app-based startup focused on school commutes for children?

Jaya Bhura: The inspiration came from my personal experience wherein my children’s school bus commute left me anxious and helpless about their safety. Buses didn’t arrive on time, there was no communication from the bus operators in case of breakdowns or delays.

Parents’ attempts to connect with the bus staff were left unanswered as operators often end up interchanging buses or clubbing routes which results in new staff on the bus almost every day. Hence, there was no one point of contact that we could rely on.

This is an impending problem that every parent faces. In this age of technological advances, we surely can have a better solution to this nagging problem. And thus, I came up with the idea of Chakraview in 2015. Every bus has its individual Chakraview App that is used by the attendant or the driver and parents can track the route even if their regular vehicle or staff is changed. This app caters to the parent’s as well as the vendor’s needs. 

How does Chakraview Solutions address the practical concerns of parents during their children’s school commutes, and what unique features set your platform apart from others in the market?

Jaya Bhura: Chakraview is based on a cutting-edge platform to facilitate easy tracking and communication solutions for school buses. This easy-to-use app caters to the entire ecosystem of schools, parents, bus contractors & bus attendants. It offers real-time bus tracking on Google Maps to parents and schools.

Parents can also get daily alerts like attendance alerts of child boarding/alighting the bus, bus reaching the bus stop or school as well as event-based notifications. The app also enables 2-way Voice & WhatsApp calling wherein parents can directly call the attendant in case of delays or queries.

These features are quite helpful for parents as they need not stand in pouring rain and scorching sun waiting for the bus to arrive.

The app also simplifies attendance marking through manual checkboxes or swiping the child’s ID card QR code. Also, parents can pay the school bus fees via the app with just a few clicks.

What challenges did you and your co-founders face when developing the app, and how did you overcome them to bring Chakraview Solutions to fruition?

Jaya Bhura: Initially, the acceptance of the product was very low. Although parents wanted this app, the schools and bus operators didn’t want to bear any extra cost for a tracking system. They relied on the GPS tracking system installed in the bus, which is much cheaper but doesn’t give the desired quality.

We overcame this challenge by visiting schools, raising awareness and giving free demos for longer periods. Finally, schools and bus operators understood the need for the product when the complaints from parents drastically dropped and they started getting positive feedback for Chakraview.

We also helped the bus operators in many ways like route optimization, data collection, organising the student database and regularising fee collection. There were many loopholes in the entire system that we solved.

In the tech startup landscape, innovation is crucial. How does Chakraview Solutions stay ahead of the curve in terms of technology and adapt to the evolving needs of parents and schools?

Jaya Bhura: We have been leaders in this sector. Several features like WhatsApp calling are not provided by any competitors. We also provide Expected Time of Arrival (ETA) similar to a cab hailing app to get precise estimate of the bus arrival.

We allow parents to use upto 3 numbers for tracking and getting alerts. They can also have the flexibility to edit their profile on their own without the need to route it through the school or chakraview help desk.

We are already using 4G network which offers tracking in real time. In the near future, we plan to switch to 5G network so that the tracking is further enhanced. In terms of technology, Chakraview is quite advanced and we are constantly adding new features as per demand.

Collaboration with schools and educational institutions is key for a platform like Chakraview Solutions. Can you elaborate on the partnerships or collaborations you have established and the benefits they bring to the users of your platform?

Jaya Bhura: We have currently collaborated with over 75 schools across Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Over 100,000 parents are reaping the benefits of the app. Chakraview has a distinctive approach that encompasses both Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) pricing models, offering safety solutions to a diverse client base.

The Portal is hosted on the Cloud and powered by AWS. The map APIs are provided by Google Maps. Chakraview uses a Zoho AI powered support module for parents called CHIA which is backed by a dedicated call centre, an on-site supervisor and a Centralised Control Centre managing the entire ecosystem. All this enables us to provide a holistic product and service platform that addresses all the pain points of our stakeholders.

The education and tech sectors are constantly evolving. How does Chakraview Solutions keep abreast of industry trends, and how do these trends influence the ongoing development of your platform?

Jaya Bhura: App-based school bus tracking systems might be available in almost every school bus, but technological advancements are limited to a basic GPS tracking system.  This industry is still in a nascent stage and has a huge opportunity to grow.

We are constantly growing and evolving our app as we meet new schools and bus operators. We understand their pain points and explore new opportunities to improve our app. Every time we find a feature that is useful to one school, we try and integrate it across all the schools.

With various advancements, the industry trends are moving towards facial recognition-based attendance. In the future, AI will also play a big role in this sector with wearable technologies, etc. We are constantly exploring ways in which technology can be advanced to ensure the safety of the students and peace of mind for parents.

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly those looking to enter the tech space with a focus on addressing real-world challenges?

Jaya Bhura: There are a lot of opportunities in the market that are yet to be explored and addressed. Aspiring entrepreneurs should identify those problems and be ready with a concrete plan to address those problems. For this, doing proper homework before entering the market is extremely important. They should also have a strong tech team that is well-equipped to address the challenges. 

As we conclude our conversation with Ms. Jaya Bhura, it becomes evident that Chakraview’s School Bus Safety System represents a transformative approach to addressing parental concerns during their children’s school commutes. Ms. Bhura’s passion for child safety and her dedication to leveraging technology for a meaningful purpose shine through.

Chakraview stands as a beacon of innovation, providing a comprehensive solution that amalgamates cutting-edge technology with genuine care for the well-being of children. We extend our gratitude to Ms. Bhura for sharing her insights, and we look forward to witnessing the continued success and positive impact that Chakraview is poised to make in the realm of school bus safety.

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