1000 questions later: ZaraPI is now part of everyday life for the residents of Stara Zagora

The virtual assistant has reported a success rate of over 88% in providing answers in the four months since its launch

More than 1,000 citizens have taken advantage of one of the newest and most attractive services offered by the Municipality of Stara Zagora—the virtual assistant ZaraPI, developed by ECIX Zagore in collaboration with students from the “Prof. Minko Balkanski” Vocational High School of Construction and Architecture. Since the end of February, it has been available 24/7 on the municipality’s website and helps users navigate administrative procedures, municipal services, deadlines, and contact information.

Access to the assistant is easy, available 24/7, and completely free. Citizens simply need to visit the municipality’s website at https://www.starazagora.bg/bg/. In the lower right corner, you’ll see the assistant’s icon, which looks like the head of a small robot. Clicking on it opens a chat with the assistant, and the conversation can begin.

24-Hour “Information” Desk

Most often, citizens seek information about local taxes and payment methods, public transportation and schedules, kindergartens, daycare centers, and school meals, certificates and administrative documents, cultural and sporting events, municipal property and real estate matters, e-services, and building permits. The busiest hours are between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. and between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., though interest in the service is also seen in the evening hours.

The three most frequently searched topics alone—taxes, transportation, and kindergartens—account for nearly one-fifth of all questions asked. This shows that ZaraPI is already serving as a kind of digital municipal service desk for citizens’ day-to-day administrative needs.

ZaraPI also recognizes queries in foreign languages, including English, Serbian, and Turkish, making it accessible to foreign citizens and visitors to the city. The system has demonstrated resilience even in the face of recorded attempts to circumvent its usage rules.

“The interest in ZaraPI is proof that the collaboration between the Municipality of Stara Zagora and the Zagore Regional Innovation Center leads to effective solutions that truly benefit people. This motivates us to continue investing in digital services that make government more accessible and efficient,” Nikolay Dikov emphasized during the presentation of ZaraPI on February 25.

A virtual, yet “alive” assistant

ZaraPI is a virtual assistant, but at its core it is a “living” assistant that must continually evolve alongside the municipality’s services and the needs of its citizens. That is why all users are welcome to provide feedback on their experience with it—especially if they notice inaccuracies or instances where the assistant “misunderstands” their questions. It allows for the identification of new topics and questions to be included in the assistant’s knowledge base, as well as for improving the quality of the answers already provided.

Young artists will help create the image of ZaraPI

ZaraPI’s current avatar and icon were generated using artificial intelligence, thanks to the expertise of the ECIC “Zagore” team in this field. However, the plan is for the assistant to have its own unique image. With the start of the new school year, the Municipality of Stara Zagora and the “Zagore” ECIH will seek opportunities to engage local art schools and young artists in the city. They will be invited to present their vision of what ZaraPI looks like and to help create its distinctive visual identity, one that is associated with Stara Zagora.

The development of ZaraPI will continue through ongoing dialogue between citizens, the municipal administration, and the team at the Zagore ECIH, so that the virtual assistant becomes increasingly accurate, useful, and relatable to people.

The ZaraPI assistant was developed by ECIX “Zagore” in collaboration with students from the “Prof. Minko Balkanski” Vocational High School of Computer Science and Information Technology. The name “ZaraPI” was chosen by the students to be short, easy to remember, and unique at the same time. A distinctive feature of the assistant is that, in addition to providing specific answers, it also cites sources and regulations, which helps citizens navigate the system and saves them time when searching for information. It was officially unveiled during the Smart City Stara Zagora hackathon on February 25.