The virtual queue app being developed for the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC) has finished load testing and security testing, and is awaiting the government decision to be uploaded online.
As of now, no date has been given out by the government for opening the BevCo outlets, post the COVID-19 lockdown. “We haven’t decided on a date yet,” says BevCo Managing Director Sparjan Kumar.
He also rubbishes the reports that the app has been named BevQ. “We haven’t given any such name yet. Once the app is ready, we will give the news,” he adds.
As of now, the app allots 50 token numbers for one hour at one outlet. This will help in maintaining physical distancing between the customers. The token numbers are allotted on a first come first serve basis, and depending on it, the applicant will get a position in the physical queue.
The app has been developed by the Kochi-based company Faircode Technologies. “The security testing was done by a government agency. We have developed the app for KSBC, and they will be the owner of the app,” say Rajith Ramachandran, Chief Technology Officer of Faircode Technologies.
Once the decision comes through, it’d take at least four more days to get approval from Google, for uploading the app on the Play Store. “Before sending the application for Google approval, we should have the name and logo of the app, submit the short and long descriptions, terms and conditions, privacy policy and so on. It’ll take time,” says Rajith.
The app is designed to assign a token number to a person requesting a place in the queue outside a BevCo outlet. “It will be allotting token numbers for the next day. So if a person makes a request today, he should ideally get a token number for tomorrow, but this will also depend on the load,” Rajith says.