Arequipa is one of the most important regions of Peru, recognized as the most dynamic economic center in the south of the country. It combines extensive agricultural land, mining activities and a thriving micro-business fabric. Unfortunately, Arequipa's urban sprawl has brought with it significant problems in rush hour traffic and the sustainability of public transportation.

One of these major challenges is the low inclusiveness of the city's peripheral districts. Such is the case of Sachaca, where Huarilloclla, Z. (2023), highlights that it has 59% (1,571 ha. approximately) of its surface designated for agricultural exploitation. But also, it has obtained the greatest urban advancement during the last years thanks to the urbanizations that have been growing and devouring the farming areas (Hancco, 2018), as well as informal housing, the real estate sector and the lack of concern on the part of the population and the State.

As a result, many peripheral populations have difficulty accessing educational, health and employment centers due to the operational inefficiency and lack of inclusion of the urban transportation system. The district of Sachaca has only had formal public transportation for two years, which represents a short period for the service and explains why the companies have not yet been able to meet the district's growing and potential demand. As a result, approximately 15,000 people are left without service. This situation negatively impacts the quality of life of the inhabitants and generates generalized discontent towards the system.

The causes of the problem include the lack of cooperation between the four service providers, weak municipal institutions and insufficient communication between key actors. In addition, the partial lack of knowledge of the needs and characteristics of demand in Sachaca, together with a complex road infrastructure and low integration with other lines in the city, make it difficult to plan and provide an efficient service.

The measures implemented so far have failed to address the situation: companies continue to operate inefficiently and local initiatives lack an inclusive and sustainable approach, reflecting the urgent need for a data-driven and collaborative strategy to address the needs of the population and to plan transportation in a participatory manner.

• User needs survey: Conduct surveys during peak hours, with municipal inspectors, to collect data on unsatisfied demand for public transportation. 100 users will be sensitized on the importance of communication for planning. In this first phase, 100 users are expected to be reached, but in a second phase it is planned to expand the sensitization and surveys to more than 300 people to ensure a meaningful representation.
• Elaboration of the dashboard or data panel: Program in Python and Power BI with the collected data a dashboard that visualizes unmet demand and operational efficiency. This dashboard will be used internally by the municipality and the transportation companies.
• Participatory meetings: Present the results of the survey and dashboard to business and community representatives. Design communication strategies such as QR codes on buses and WhatsApp groups to facilitate citizen participation.
• Design of the digital channel: Create a web page accessible to the public, where neighbors can update their needs on a monthly basis and make complaints or consult pop-up announcements related to formal public transportation.
• Promotion of the tool: Implement campaigns in schools, bus stops and buses to disseminate the use of the web page and encourage participatory planning of public transportation, involving vulnerable groups and frequent users.

Direct results:

• 100 users sensitized on the importance of communication for public transport planning.
• 1 dashboard or data panel developed, tested and visualized for public transport companies, with indicators of unsatisfied demand and operational efficiency.
• 1 web page developed for monthly feedback, complaints and queries about Sachaca's formal public transport service.
• 50 initial participants involved in the survey surveys.
• 1 communication strategy implemented, including QR codes, WhatsApp groups and materials in 3 schools, official bus stops and 50 buses.

Expected impact:

• Reduce by 10% the amount of population dissatisfied with public transport frequency and schedules, based on participatory survey, by 2026.
• Involve at least half of the districts (14 out of 28 total) by 2025 to evaluate the implementation of Amigo Bus.
• Achieve free digital access to information on schedules, frequencies and routes of Sachaca's formal public transport buses by 2025.

• The Provincial Municipality of Arequipa.
• Integrated Transportation System (SIT) of Arequipa.
• District schools: Mendel, El milagro de Fátima, Gran Padre San Agustín, Horacio Morales Delgado, Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Max Uhle.
• Service providers: Megabus, AQP Masivo and Unión AQP.

• Renzo Salas, Mayor, Municipality of Sachaca (alcaldia@munisachaca.gob.pe)
• Maria Nelly Choquehuayta Hancco, Secretary of Transportation, Municipality of Sachaca.
• Geryll Granda, Coordinator, Research Incubator “Urban Tech” (geryll144@gmail.com)
• Ronald Nina Turpo, Junior Researcher, “Urban Tech” Research Semillero, (rninat@unsa.edu.pe)
• Aracely Andrea Medina Roman, junior researcher, Research Incubator “Urban Tech”, (aracely02.mr@gmail.com)
• José Reynaldo Huanca Pari, junior researcher, Research Incubator “Urban Tech”, (jhuancapar@unsa.edu.pe)