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The office clock struck 3:30. John and Timothy walked out of the meeting room with restless faces. Everyone else had left, but they stayed for a while. John whispered, “Tim, this is not just another app. The boss’s eyes told me that something unusual was hidden.

Timothy adjusted his glasses. “I agree. He said, ‘exclusive algorithm.’ That means he doesn’t just want real-time pricing. He wants something new. Something nobody has thought about.”

Before leaving, they discussed deeply and decided on the team. He drafted a short email as follows and sent it to his boss. “At least that part is done,” he muttered. Timothy nodded. “Now the real challenge begins.”

Primary Idea later. Team
• John – Project Manager (Lead Coordinator)
• Timothy – Project Manager (System Architect & Strategy)
List of Engineers:
• Maya – Lead Coder
• Ruwan – Data Analyst
• Sara – UX Designer
• Dilshan – Marketing & Strategy

The next morning, all gathered in the glass cabin. Maya, Ruwan, Sara, and Dilshan looked up with curiosity. John started without wasting time. “Team, we’ve been given a challenge. We need to build a rental app. It should breathe differently and think differently. Any idea is welcome, no matter how crazy.”

The room stayed silent for a moment. Then Sara raised her hand. “What if the app doesn’t just calculate price by demand but also by purpose? Like, imagine if someone needs a car to go to a hospital urgently, or a student going to an exam. The app could recognize it and give supportive discounts.”

Timothy’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Social-purpose pricing. That could make the client’s app stand out. But how do we make it practical?”

Maya leaned forward, typing something on her laptop. “We could build an algorithm that reads context. If the booking location is near a hospital or a university during exam times, the system gives a supportive fare. But we also balance it with other users; maybe business travelers pay a little higher during peak hours.”

John nodded. “Brilliant. This way, fares stay competitive, revenue is safe, and the app looks socially responsible. People will trust it.”

The team was energized. But Ruwan, the data analyst, frowned. “Hold on. What if people misuse it? Like, pretending they’re going to a hospital?”

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Timothy smiled knowingly. “That’s why we need proof-based triggers. For example, hospital drop-off fares are reduced only if the ride ends at a registered hospital zone. For students, maybe we can collaborate with universities to mark exam schedules into the system.”

The team liked it. "But," John said, “We have only six weeks. If we promise too much, we’ll fail.”

“True,” Maya said. “Let’s start only with the hospital, education, and green trips. Green trips mean that if users share rides or choose eco-friendly vehicles, they get lower rates.”

Sara was happy. “Perfect! And we can design the app to show users why their fare is higher or lower. Like a small message: ‘You saved 15% because you’re going to the hospital’ or ‘You paid a little extra to support student discounts.’ This makes pricing transparent and human.”

The next two weeks, they worked hard. The engineers together coded, tested, failed, but tried again. They argued deeply. Once, Maya blamed John. “You can't ask for another revision of the algorithm. We are humans.”

“I know, Maya. But we can’t hand the boss a normal idea. If we do this, the project will fail and our efforts will be in vain.

Timothy claimed, “Let’s calm down. Remember why we’re building this. Imagine the mother rushing her child to a hospital and paying less at that moment. Isn’t that worth it?”

After that, there was no argument.

By the fourth week, the prototype was ready. The app was named CareRide. It didn't calculate rates by distance and demand, like other rental apps. It factored in purpose, fairness, and impact.

The final day arrived. John and Timothy, with their four team members, stood before the General Manager. The boss leaned back in his chair and raised his voice, “Show me what you’ve got.”

Maya came forward and connected her laptop to the projector. A clean interface appeared. Timothy explained, “Here is a hospital booking during rush hour. It costs only 750 rupees, but our app reduces it to 600 automatically. Here is a student trip, which was reduced by 10%. And here is a business trip booked at the same time; it is slightly higher than average, balancing the system.”
The boss watched silently. John felt his heartbeat thudding.

The boss smiled and expressed his satisfaction with the app, “Great job! You come up with more than what I thought.”

This is the first time I've seen an app consider humans in addition to money. I approved it.”

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