The Engineering for People Design Challenge is an educational initiative co-delivered by Engineers Without Borders UK, Engineers Without Borders South Africa, and Efficiency for Access. Since 2011, it has invited university students to rethink the role of engineering in society and develop solutions that place people and the planet at the heart of decision-making. This year, 46 universities from around the world took part.
Students were encouraged to select one of eight challenge areas—food, water, energy, sanitation, waste, transport, digital technologies, and the built environment—and to develop sustainable solutions for the Ladywood community in Birmingham. Loughborough’s team, led by Dr Luciano Ost, Senior Lecturer in Embedded Systems, comprised four students from the Computer and Electronic Engineering programme: Arya Arun, Chris Legge, Jack Booth and Stefan Cius.
The team devised a project entitled Predictive Bus Routing System for Ladywood: ML-Powered Adaptive Public Transport for Urban Equity. The project addresses the issue of unreliable and inefficient bus services in Ladywood, where many residents rely heavily on public transport. Fixed timetables do not adapt to fluctuations in demand caused by factors such as the time of day, weather conditions, and local events, often resulting in overcrowding, delays, and missed journeys. The project proposes a predictive system that minimises passenger disruption by dynamically adjusting routes and schedules in real time. By using machine learning-based route optimisation and intuitive visualisation tools, the system aims to improve operational efficiency, reduce waiting times, and enhance accessibility for communities that depend on public transport and have limited access to private vehicles.
Speaking on the team’s project, Dr Ost said:
“The proposed solution not only improves the efficiency and accessibility of public transport, but also demonstrates how engineering can be used to address broader societal challenges. By optimising routes in response to changing demand, the solution has the potential to reduce unnecessary vehicle kilometres, lowering fuel consumption and emissions while making more effective use of existing public resources. At the same time, it enhances operational efficiency within fixed public budgets, helping to deliver better services without requiring additional subsidies.
The students went far beyond the technical requirements of the challenge, carefully considering the broader social, environmental, and economic impact of their solution. They placed the community at the heart of the design process, addressing important issues such as accessibility, equity, and public trust from the outset. The quality of their work, together with their dedication and professionalism throughout the project, has been exceptional. Their solution demonstrates a level of maturity, creativity, and systems thinking that is truly impressive and highlights the outstanding talent within our undergraduate engineering community.”
The Engineering for People Design Challenge consists of a four-stage design process, after which, the top project designs from each institution are reviewed by a pool of industry experts. The top 36 teams, including Loughborough, have been invited to compete at the Grand Finals at Millennium Point in Birmingham on Friday 19 June, where they will have the opportunity to pitch their design to an expert panel of judges featuring academics, non-governmental organisations, Engineers Without Borders UK staff, and industry professionals.