BusBuzz: Social Music in the Bus

BusBuzz is an app that creates ad-hoc music networks with the people around you.

Music is a pervasive, integral part of our lives and a fundamental expression of culture. Many of our most special moments are associated with music, and these moments are often best when shared. Access to music has grown tremendously thanks to iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, and many other platforms, but the fast pace of life today has made music an increasingly solitary experience. How might the social aspect of the music experience be recaptured? BusBuzz is a location-based social music application that creates ad-hoc music networks with the people around you. Developed developed by students in MEL’s Spring 2012 Design Without Boundaries class, it was designed for Istanbul’s public buses.

The app aggregates the users’ music preferences and creates a dynamic playlist. This playlist is like a jukebox, played in real time and specific to each bus. BusBuzz’s mission is to create a fun and engaging experience for the commuters by allowing them to discover and share music with others on their bus. Our hope is that, by creating a fun and engaging ridership experience, BusBuzz will make public transportation more attractive and promote Istanbul as a fun, playful and sustainable city.