The newest version of San Antonio’s 311 non-emergency line’s smartphone application gives San Antonio residents an opportunity to interact with the city, report issues and obtain information.
In the first year since the newest version was released, more than 20,000 residents have used the app to put in more than 35,000 reports – whether they’re concerned about potholes, garbage service, or something else altogether.
“We are a seven-day operation,” Paula Stallcup told the San Antonio Express-News. “We are for non-emergency civil services – the potholes, the stray animals or neighbor (concerns).”
The reports go into a call center that receives hundreds of thousands of calls a year, although not all of those turn into reports. According to the San Antonio Express-News report, there were 594,747 requests through the 311 non-emergency line that were directed to the appropriate city department.
“We rely on residents to be our eyes and ears, so we ask them to call us when there are issues,” Stallcup said. “Yes, there are 12,000 city employees, and we are all driving around doing different things – but we can’t necessarily get into every piece of the neighborhood, and that’s when we rely on community members to tell us what is going on.”
It turns out that garbage pickup is a top issue for San Antonio residents, with property maintenance and streets to follow, according to information from the city. These are the top reports overall, but users of the app have slightly different concerns. Graffiti, faded traffic signs and overgrown yards are the top complaints on the app – and Stallcup notes that may be because people can add a photo through the app more easily.
With the newest version of the 311SA app, users can send photos related to their requests, like others’ requests and even see the existing requests for their area.
The city updated the application as part of a multimillion-dollar project that aimed to make San Antonio a “smart city” and increase its digital connections.
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