Open Source, Open Doors: How Trufi Code Launched an App and Career

In 2020, at 21 years old, Salim Bouhorma solved a problem for his hometown of Tétouan, Morocco, using Trufi code, and the Trufi community.

Background: Mapping Tétouan’s Transport Network and the Corsa App

In Tétouan, public transport information was difficult to access, leaving commuters to navigate informal transport without up-to-date maps, or a journey planner. Instead of wishing for a solution, he built one himself. Over the course of four months, Salim mapped Tétouan’s transport network and launched his own version of a Trufi App: Corsa.

You can read about the origin of Corsa here. This is about what came afterwards.

A Project That Shaped His Future

At the time, he didn’t realize how much Corsa project would shape his future – his employability. To potential employers, “it was basically the fact that I had a problem, or I saw a problem in my community, and I did something about it,” Salim said. The technical skills mattered, but what stood out was his initiative.

Corsa: A Career Catalyst

Corsa became his calling card. The app opened doors that Salim had never expected. “When you’re a university student and relatively junior, having the initiative to launch something at such a large scale opens doors for you,” he says.

His work on Corsa helped him land interviews with major companies, including Microsoft. “It got me my first interview because I had experience in the public sector and had worked with public transport.

The second time around, it helped again,” he said. The credibility of building an app from scratch, managing its launch, and handling the data made him stand out. After Microsoft, PayPal came calling.

Soon, he co-founded a logistics startup that was on the verge of selling for $2 million (USD), but the deal ultimately fell through.

Despite the startup’s eventual closure due to external economic factors, Salim’s experience running a business strengthened his skills. “The one that helped me the most in terms of the learnings I had at Corsa was launching my own startup,” he said.

Open Data and Community Impact

But Corsa’s impact didn’t stop with his career. Even though the app is no longer actively maintained, the data he collected continues to benefit others.

“I had a couple of people reach out asking if they could use the data I mapped,” he says. He chose to share it freely, understanding the power of open-source collaboration. “I got so much help from the open-source community and Trufi, so it wouldn’t feel right to charge for the work I had done.”

The Road Ahead for Salim and Corsa

Today, Salim is finishing his bachelor’s degree and preparing for a master’s in artificial intelligence at Sorbonne University in Paris. His career trajectory has been shaped by the willingness to take initiative, embrace open data, and tackle challenges head-on.

Trufi remains a milestone in his journey. When he interviews for product management roles, it still comes up. “I always go back to Corsa because of the story itself,” he said. He had to wear many hats, navigate technical and logistical hurdles, and ultimately deliver a working product.

That experience continues to define his approach to solving real-world problems.

For anyone in Morocco who wants to revive Corsa or build something new, the opportunity is there. Whether it’s an individual developer or the local transport agency, the foundation Salim laid still exists. The data is mapped, the code is open source, and the code base “Trufi Core” has had many improvements.

Open Source can Open Doors for You

Volunteering with Trufi isn’t only about building apps—it’s about empowering communities, sustainability, and transportation justice. If you have the initiative to tackle challenges and a willingness to learn, we invite you join us.