What to know
- Toronto developer Ahmed Abunadar created SolveTo, an AI-powered website that simplifies reporting issues like potholes.
- Users can upload a photo and location, and the tool automatically submits reports to 311 and local councillors.
- The platform also tracks reports publicly, allowing residents to monitor progress and engagement.
- Early users say issues have been resolved within days, with growing interest from residents and councillors.
A Toronto resident has decided to do his part to make the city better for his community by developing a website that allows residents to capture and report issues through 311 and local councillors, making it easier for the city to tackle concerns.
Torontonian Ahmed Abunadar, who works with software development, said he decided to create the tool after experiencing frustration first-hand while trying to report a pothole to the city’s non-emergency service.
Earlier this year, the Torontonian says he was driving at the Eglinton and Don Mills intersection near the former Science Centre, when he fell in a pothole. After making sure his car was undamaged, he called 311 to report the issue, but said nobody picked up the phone within 20 minutes of the call. He also tried reporting the issue through the city’s website, but also found that the process could be difficult.
“I selected [pothole], and [got] lots of questions, lots of drop down menus are selected, and it can set people off. And I think this is one of the reasons people either give up on reporting or they [are] not excited about reporting,” Abunadar told Now Toronto.
That’s when he had the idea to create SolveTo, a website that makes the process of reporting issues easier and more fun for the users.
Through the website, residents can submit a photo of the issue they’d like to report, along with its location, and any more information they’d like to include. The AI-powered tool then submits the report to the city, and sends an email to the local city council about the issue.
The website also keeps a record of all the issues reported, which allow other users to also view the issue and the image, and keep track of their progress.
“I want people to care about the city. I love the city, and I want [other residents] to show this passion, they should care about the city,” Abunadar said.
“What I’m trying to do is to [close] a gap they’re not covering, which is immediate response, excitement for the citizen to find a problem and take a picture and that’s it. You don’t do anything else. They don’t write anything because, [as] I mentioned, the experience on the web is not really interesting, and it’s sometimes disappointing, and that’s the reason I created this solution.”
The resident says he has started developing the website mid-January, and launched it online about a month ago, but continues to work on it to address any necessary issues or upgrades, and keep the service smooth.
Since the launch, Abunadar said he’s received lots of positive feedback from other residents, with one even saying they’ve had a report addressed by the city within days.
“It happened this morning. Someone tweeted, ‘Thank Ahmed, it has been resolved.’ It seems he had an issue with a pothole in his area, and he shared it on SolveTo, and it got fixed yesterday, because of the application as well. So, it works,” Abunadar said.
Website will not substitute the city’s work
As the website is well-received by residents, Abunadar explains he is not looking to substitute the city’s non-emergency services. In fact, the Torontonian hopes his tool can help the city address people’s concerns and deal with complaints more efficiently.
“The city is busy with 311, and the city is doing an amazing job, and it’s too much, actually too much. We’re growing a lot, and [there are] too many troubles and problems and everything. I understand the councillors as well, they are overwhelmed with new things,” he said.
“311 is not going to go away. I’m not surplusing it, I’m complementing 311. Those people give up on reporting; I want to give these people back in a different way, to make it easy and fun.”
Moving forward, Abunadar says he hopes to partner with the city to advance the project even more. The resident says he hopes to integrate his website with the city’s system, similar to existing programs in other countries, including Australia and the U.K. which have a similar website led by a private corporation.
The resident says although he hasn’t directly spoken to city staff about his idea, he has contacted a few city councillors who have expressed interest in the project, and hopes to meet with them soon.
According to him, partnering up with the city would enable him to increase the reach of his service to other regions and make the service run more efficiently.
“I want to do the same thing, not just in Toronto, [but] across Canada. This is my big picture right now. People [can] communicate with me; [if] they want to connect with their cities, I’m willing to work with them. I just want to see how Toronto [will work] first…understand how it works, understand the management and work with the city crew, stuff like that, and then I will expand it across the country.”
The City of Toronto said it’s aware of new tools and technology that help enhance their service delivery, including SolveTo, but emphasizes that 311 continues to be the city’s official service for residents to report issues.
“311 Toronto remains the City’s centralized service channel, offering multiple ways for residents to report issues, including by phone, online and through the 311 mobile app. The City is continually reviewing and improving these services to ensure they are accessible, efficient and responsive to residents’ needs,” a spokesperson for the city told Now Toronto.
“Residents are encouraged to report issues through 311 to ensure they are tracked and addressed as quickly as possible.”
