Case · Bule

Bule app — no more notes on the windshield

Bule makes it possible to get in touch with the owner of a vehicle — quickly and securely — while car owners can be reached without sharing their personal information. The solution is a small physical device on the windshield combined with the Bule app, built on starti.app technology.

  • IoT
  • B2C
  • Community
  • Transport
Bule app illustration

starti.app has a very personal approach to our collaboration. They are skilled and professional — there's no doubt about that — but at the same time, they manage to add an extra layer of personality to the service they provide. I really appreciate that.

Daniel Augustus

Founder of Bule

Portrait of Daniel Augustus

A physical card, a digital network, and an app

Bule's physical device — the card mounted on the car's windshield — is equipped with both a QR code and a built-in NFC chip, so it works in all lighting and weather conditions. If the QR code is difficult to scan (rain, darkness, dirt) the phone can simply be held close to the device to activate it via NFC.

What drives the entire experience is the intelligent, interconnected Bule network — a groundbreaking digital system that enables anonymous communication between sender and recipient, entirely without using personal data.

The network is not just a platform. It's a new way of thinking about physical-digital interaction in public spaces. The entire digital system is built with web technology, and Bule has used the starti.app technology to build an app on top of the web system.

How do you get in touch with the owner of a vehicle?

There can be many situations where it is necessary to contact a car owner — or where you, as the car owner, need to be reachable. Perhaps your car is blocking the way, parked inconveniently or illegally. It could also be that the lights are on, a window is open, or there is an animal in the car on a hot day.

In other cases, you may need to inform the owner about damage — for example, if you have accidentally scratched a car or want to point out something important.

Whether you are the sender or the recipient of the message, it can often be difficult or even impossible to get in touch. And this is where Bule makes all the difference.

The difference

With Bule, both sides skip the hassle

Without Bule

A note on the windshield — and a lot of hope

As the sender:

  • Leave a note on the windshield (if you happen to have paper and a pen) and hope it doesn't disappear.
  • If you're somewhere with staff, try to get them to call out the owner over a loudspeaker.
  • Or wait — maybe for a long time — hoping the car owner shows up.

As the recipient (car owner):

  • Often there's no note at all on the windshield, and important information never reaches you. That means damages end up paid out of your own pocket.
  • If there is a note, it might be unclear, anonymous, or ruined by the weather.
With Bule

Direct, anonymous contact in seconds

As the sender:

  • Scan the QR code on the car.
  • Send a message directly to the owner — quickly and anonymously.

As the recipient (car owner):

  • You immediately receive a notification on your phone when someone contacts you. Respond or ignore — your choice.
  • No unclear notes or lost windshield messages. All communication happens directly through the app.

How does the Bule app work?

When someone scans the Bule device on the car, a link opens directly in their browser. From there, they can choose from a range of standard messages, such as:

  • The vehicle is blocking the way
  • The vehicle is parked illegally
  • The lights are on
  • A window or door is open

The owner immediately receives a notification in the Bule app and can choose to respond or ignore the message if it isn't relevant.

At the same time, the car owner can also leave messages that are displayed when the device is scanned, for example:

  • Back in 10 minutes
  • Air conditioning is on for the dog in the car
  • The car has broken down — roadside assistance is on the way

If the sender wants to write a personal, customized message — e.g. "I accidentally scratched your car, please contact me at 50 20 70 90 so we can find a solution" — they need to use the Bule app, available in the App Store and Google Play.

Inside the app

Bule on the phone

Designed to be quick to install and simple to use — both for car owners and senders.

Bule app screen 1
Bule app screen 2
Bule app screen 3

Setting up and using the Bule app

The Bule app can be used whether you own a car or simply want to be able to contact other car owners.

For car owners

Receive your Bule device, register your vehicle in the app, mount the device on the windshield, and activate it by linking the activation code to your license plate. Everything happens quickly and securely in the app.

For senders

Install the Bule app to send a personal, customised message to a car owner. From there, you can easily compose and send messages — without ever sharing personal information.

Why did you choose starti.app?

"In the beginning, I thought a website and a PWA would be enough," says Daniel Augustus, the founder of Bule. A PWA (Progressive Web App) provided Daniel with many of the features he was looking for, and he could build it himself. But there were three major challenges he couldn't ignore:

  1. No possibility for push notifications.
  2. The app couldn't be found in the App Store and Google Play.
  3. The experience — Bule needed to feel secure, intuitive, and refined.

When I found starti.app, I thought: That can't be right — it looks way too easy!

Daniel Augustus

Founder of Bule

Portrait of Daniel Augustus

A PWA was simply not good enough

"The closer we got to the release date, the more I felt that I wasn't satisfied with a PWA. It HAD to be a real app," says Daniel.

"I started exploring the market for app solutions and found several foreign services, but none of them felt right. When I found starti.app, I thought: This can't be real — it looks way too easy! I called immediately and got a fantastic introduction. After that, I didn't have a single doubt that starti.app was exactly the solution I needed."

The technical bit

PWA vs. starti.app — what's the difference?

The biggest similarity between a PWA (Progressive Web App) and starti.app is that they are both built from your existing website. The differences are a bit greater — with starti.app, you actually get a real app for both iPhone and Android, and that's a major upgrade from a PWA:

  • Your app becomes visible in the App Store and Google Play.
  • The app gains access to interact with all the app features on the user's mobile device that you want.

If you want to read more about the difference between a PWA and starti.app (and other alternatives), the IT consultancy firm Holion has written about it right here →

The Bule app is built on top of the website Daniel had already developed. This allowed him to have a real app for both iPhone and Android just a few weeks after getting started.

"starti.app is a brilliant way to create apps because you don't need to know Android or iOS programming — you just do what you're used to. I'm used to building web-based systems, so being able to continue with web and use starti.app's framework for the app part makes it super easy.

And starti.app has a very personal approach to collaboration. They are skilled and professional — there's no doubt about that — but at the same time, they manage to add an extra layer of personality to the service they provide. I really appreciate that," concludes Daniel.

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