International Journal of Science, Engineering and TechnologyAuthors: Associate Professor S. P. Gunjal, Sahil Hase, Pratik Jadhav, Abhishek Pokharkar, Siddhi Horane
Abstract: The increasing number of private vehicles in urban areas has resulted in serious transportation challenges such as traffic congestion, fuel wastage, and rising pollution levels. This paper presents the complete design, development, and evaluation of RideLink — an Android-based intelligent carpooling system engineered to promote shared mobility and sustainable commuting. RideLink allows users to register as drivers or passengers and enables them to create, search, and book rides in real time. The system integrates Firebase Realtime Database for secure data handling, osmdroid (OpenStreetMap) for GPS-based route visualization, and a Haversine geospatial algorithm for intelligent ride matching based on route proximity. The platform supports real-time seat occupancy tracking, gender-aware booking, driver license verification through an admin approval workflow, luggage capacity management, automated SMS notifications to drivers upon booking, an SOS emergency button, and complete ride lifecycle management. Testing across physical Android devices running API levels 26 through 34 demonstrated sub-2-second ride search performance and accurate geolocation-based matching. All 14 planned functional test cases passed successfully. RideLink demonstrates how mobile and cloud technologies can deliver a practical, scalable, and eco-friendly transportation solution without paid infrastructure.
