The 1st Cyprus Transport Hackathon was successfully held on January 17, 2026, bringing together 22 teams and 65 participants from diverse backgrounds, including students, researchers and professionals, to collaboratively address key challenges in transport and mobility in Cyprus.
The Hackathon focused on the development of innovative, practical and human-centred solutions across thematic areas such as public transport, road safety, multimodal mobility and inclusive mobility. Working in interdisciplinary teams, participants ideated, developed and presented proposals responding to real-world challenges and policy priorities.
The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, the Municipality of Strovolos, the University of Cyprus (through SURF Lab and KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence), the Youth Board of Cyprus (ONEK), Hack{Cyprus}, and Google Developers Group (GDG) Cyprus.
Jury Awards
The Jury Awards were granted based on quality, innovation, clarity of approach, and the overall contribution of the proposals to the objectives of the Hackathon and to the broader dialogue on transport and mobility in Cyprus.
🥇 1st Prize (€3,000) – Team GTFS Guru
Proposal: “AI Real Time Bus Positions”
An intelligent system enabling uninterrupted real-time monitoring of bus locations, even in areas with limited or no GPS signal.
Team members: Igor Akimov, Roman Iakimenok, Sviatoslav Akimov, Sergei Vlasenko, Marina Kyriakou.
🥈 2nd Prize (€1,500) – Team Way Guard
Proposal: “Wrong-Way Driving Detection System on Motorways”
A road safety system that detects vehicles entering motorway exits in the wrong direction, supporting data-driven decision-making and the monitoring of safety interventions.
Team members: Xenios Theodorou, Lambros Theodorou, Herodotos Dimitriou.
🥉 3rd Prize (€700) – Team EftychiouSolutions (UrbanFlow AI)
Proposal: “TrustBus CY”
An AI-powered application that predicts bus arrival times with 92% accuracy, offering smart recommendations and real-time accessibility features.
Team members: Achilleas Eftychiou, Iosif Alampritis.
In addition to the awarded teams, the Jury granted Special Mentions to proposals that demonstrated strong potential, originality and social impact:
Special Mention – Team Motion Notion
Proposal: “HorioHop – Inclusive Mobility”
An application suggesting optimal routes to any village in Cyprus and enabling pre-booking of minibuses for remote areas, fully digitising rural mobility.
Team members: Sofya Fedkina, Georgii Zazdravnyi.
Special Mention – Team HackNova
Proposal: “HackNova API”
An API that can be integrated into existing applications to display a reliability (confidence) score calculated using real-time and historical data.
Team members: Teresa Carnassale, Margarita Golovina.
Special Mention – Team Laou Laou
Proposal: “Micromobility Loop Bus – Milo Bus”
A 15-minute circular bus route designed to support micromobility users in fragmented and car-oriented urban environments.
Team members: Eugenia Antoniadou, Nektarios Grigoriou, Iakovos Sierifis, Iakovos Loizou.
Collaboration and Impact
The Hackathon highlighted the power of collaboration between the public sector, academia and innovation ecosystems. The SURF Lab of the University of Cyprus participated as a co-organiser, contributing expertise in urban mobility, spatial planning, accessibility and inclusive design, and supporting the exchange between research, policy and practice. Beyond the competitive aspect, the event served as a platform for experimentation, dialogue and capacity-building, reinforcing the importance of participatory and collaborative approaches in shaping the future of transport and mobility in Cyprus.
Special thanks are extended to all participants for their creativity, commitment and collaborative spirit, as well as to the mentors, jury members and partner organisations whose contribution was essential to the success of the event.
For additional material from the event, please visit the link here.
