Barbados has a new locally built digital tool that is set to revolutionize how residents engage with government agencies and access essential public services. Named ‘Pearly’, this unified mobile platform cuts through bureaucratic red tape, creating a single, simplified channel for citizens to submit service requests, track government responses in real time, and access critical information when they need it.
Developed by Barbadian tech firm TouchStar Group, Pearly officially launched this Tuesday, with company founder and CEO Ramon Drummond walking a gathered audience through the platform’s full suite of features, highlighting how it simplifies interactions with the more than 150 government agencies operating across the island. Beyond core public service reporting functions, the app also integrates real-time public transit data to help commuters plan their daily trips more efficiently.
Drummond demonstrated the app’s flagship ‘Tell Pearly’ problem-reporting feature using a common real-world example: reporting a dangerous pothole on a local road. In less than 30 seconds, the app automatically pulled the user’s location data, accepted an uploaded photo of the hazard, and routed the complaint directly to the correct government agency responsible for road repairs. This eliminates the common frustration many residents face when they have to guess which government office handles a specific issue, Drummond explained. ‘Citizens should not have to figure out which ministry, department or agency is responsible for a particular issue,’ he said. ‘With Pearly, users simply describe the problem, add their location and upload photos if necessary. The platform automatically sends the report to the correct government department.’
The app also delivers tangible benefits for daily commuters through its integrated public transportation feature. Drawing on a massive dataset of more than 61,000 traffic mapping points across the island, Pearly provides users with live updates on the exact location of Barbados Transport Board buses, as well as real-time maps showing island-wide traffic congestion. Drummond noted that future updates to the app will add predictive traffic alert functionality, giving commuters advance warning of delays so they can adjust their travel routes accordingly.
One of the platform’s most critical innovations is its specialized emergency mode, designed to support disaster response during severe weather events like hurricanes, which pose regular risks to Caribbean island nations. When activated, emergency mode simplifies the app’s interface to enable fast, low-bandwidth reporting even when internet connectivity is unstable or intermittent. All user reports are saved locally on the user’s device and automatically sent to authorities once a network connection is restored. For government emergency management teams, Pearly also includes a centralized ‘war room’ dashboard that displays an interactive map tracking active incidents, flood-prone areas, and the locations of vulnerable community members, enabling faster, more data-driven emergency response decisions.
Beyond reporting, Pearly acts as a centralized verified information hub for all public services through its ‘Ask Pearly’ function. Instead of waiting on hold for hours to reach a government office to ask a simple question, residents can submit their query directly through the app, which returns pre-verified answers covering everything from government department operating hours to what documentation is required for specific services, with direct links to complete transactions online.
Built by an all-Barbadian team of software engineers, the platform was developed with user security and privacy as top priorities. Nakira, the platform’s lead software engineer and data compliance officer, confirmed that Pearly uses end-to-end encryption for all user data. ‘When a citizen submits a report, it is only visible to authorised personnel who need to deal with that issue,’ she explained.
For the Barbadian government, Pearly also serves as a built-in accountability tool for public service delivery. The platform tracks every service request from initial submission through to final resolution. If a responsible government department fails to meet its mandated response deadline, the system automatically escalates the issue to senior leadership, ensuring top officials maintain full visibility into how quickly public services are delivered to residents.
The app is already live and available for all residents to download and use today, but Drummond emphasized that the development team plans to continue iterating on the platform based on user feedback. He encouraged both residents and public servants to share their input through the app’s built-in feedback tools to help refine the service over time. ‘Pearly is not perfect, and we do not expect it to be,’ he said. ‘We want citizens and public servants to tell us what works and what can be improved so we can continue building a platform that truly serves Barbados.’