fixmystreet.org

What It Is

FixMyStreet Platform is open-source geographic issue-reporting software provided by mySociety. Its core purpose is to let residents report street-level problems such as potholes and broken streetlights, then route those reports to the organization responsible for fixing them. It is not just a simple form tool; it builds assignment logic around location, category, and responsible authority, while also making reports public so others can view them, add updates, and subscribe to alerts.

Core Capabilities

In terms of functionality, the platform can select the responsible authority based on an issue’s location and category, then send the report via email or web services such as Open311. It also includes features for reducing duplicate reports, staff workflows, back-end integrations, bounced-email handling, and more. For customization, it supports changes to colors, logos, copy, templates, CSS, static pages, and behavior. Internationalization is a key focus: you can use existing languages or add translations via Transifex. The documentation covers configuration topics such as geocoding, administrative boundaries, login authentication, and report routing, which makes it feel more like a full project platform than a ready-to-use SaaS product.

Deployment, Pricing, and Ecosystem

It is explicitly open-source software and can be deployed for free at city or national scale. Self-hosting options are relatively extensive, including Debian/Ubuntu servers, Amazon EC2, Docker, AMI, installation scripts, and Vagrant. Ecosystem support includes GitHub, mailing lists, a blog, and a community made up of mySociety staff, international volunteers, and existing operators. The source material does not provide commercial hosting prices, payment methods, or SLA details; it only mentions donations and commercial services offered by SocietyWorks, which is part of mySociety.

Pros, Cons, and Who It’s For

Its strengths are that it is open source, localizable, and backed by broad documentation. It is well suited to civic tech organizations, local volunteer teams, urban governance projects, or government-adjacent teams with technical capability. The main barrier is operations: the official guidance suggests that you need at least an administrator, a developer, and translators. You also need to prepare administrative boundary data, collect departmental email addresses, and handle user support, promotion, and communication with public agencies over the long term. More complex customization also requires development capability.

Access in China and Alternatives

The source material does not provide information on access from mainland China, ICP filing, map compliance, payment, or local cloud support, so access in China should be considered unknown. If deployed in China, key areas to evaluate include map and geocoding services, access to government department data, email deliverability, and localization compliance. Alternatives could include building a custom ticketing or grid-based governance platform, or using a general low-code platform or ticketing system combined with map components.