Are you suffering from potholes in Edomex? You can now report them via WhatsApp

How to access the Edomex mobility chatbot?

The new tool is called Movimexwas developed in collaboration with Meta and according to Daniel Sibaja, Secretary of Mobility of the State of Mexico, is now available to all WhatsApp users through the number +527222269313.

According to the official, it is a listening tool for citizens where they can interact to address a series of daily requests without the need to carry out tedious procedures that can take several hours a day to resolve.

“This will lead to a response to people’s needs,” said Sibaja, who added that his intention is to resolve problems that previously took less than a minute, especially to file complaints about potholes, something for which there was no way to make reports.

What type of complaints will the Movimex chatbot be used for?

The official explained that this tool will focus on certain types of comments, which are: advice; anti-corruption line; questions about driving license procedures; reports of poor road conditions; poor services in public transportation; and checking the status of a complaint.

One of the main problems facing public transportation in the State of Mexico is insecurity. According to data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, in the first five months of 2024, 2,666 reports of assaults on public transportation were recorded.

In this context, Sibaja highlighted that the chatbot will also work to raise complaints in concessioned transport, which will be binding and, therefore, could be arguments to remove such concessions, in addition to the fact that the information reaches the other secretariats that deal with security issues in the entity.

According to the official, the authorities are aware that “people in the State of Mexico feel very unsafe,” especially women who experience harassment, so these tools are intended to change the mobility paradigm.

Íñigo Fernández, director of public policies for Meta in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, said that this tool is the first initiative of its kind in terms of mobility in the country, which will also have a social and economic impact.

However, he stressed that this is not the only example. During the pandemic, the chatbot Armando Vacuno was launched to obtain Covid-19 vaccination certificates, while on election day, Inés was launched to ask for information on how and where to vote.

Looking to the future, Fernández stressed that they are working with other entities of the entity, such as the Secretariat of Economic Development, to participate in its training sessions for micro, small and medium-sized companies, as well as the spokesperson of the State of Mexico to improve communication through its platforms.