National Express West Midlands renews and expands partnership with CitySwift to optimise performance using AI
CitySwift, leader in performance optimisation for the public transport sector across the globe, has today announced the continuation of its partnership with National Express West Midlands (NXWM). The three year extension comes following impressive year-on-year results, including improved bus punctuality and efficiencies.
Since September 2023 NXWM’s use of CitySwift’s advanced AI and data technology has led to a reduction of more than 20% in late running, customer wait times have been reduced, and passengers per journey have increased. This follows strong results from previous years and consequently NXWM is now rolling out CitySwift’s platform across its entire fleet of over 1,400 buses.
As a leader in the largest UK urban bus market outside of London, NXWM provides on average 210 million bus passenger journeys per year across the West Midlands and has worked collaboratively with CitySwift to develop best-in-class transport solutions that analyse passenger and service data, drive optimum performance, and delivers a much more efficient use of resources.
Speaking on today’s announcement, Alan Farrelly, CCO and Co-founder of CitySwift, said:
“National Express West Midlands has been core to CitySwift’s product development since 2019, and we are thrilled to extend our partnership for a further three years. This next phase will enable National Express West Midlands to further strengthen their commitment to enhancing the public transport network and improving the passenger experience through our technology.”
The latest innovative CitySwift solution is Spotlight, a globally leading intelligent recommendation engine for bus network enhancements that is integral to building smart cities and regions of the future.
NXWM is the first UK transport operator to adopt Spotlight, with the West Midlands being the first region in the world to benefit, resulting in faster, more customer-centric choices that balance resources, passengers, cities, and operators.
Ed Rickard, Network Director at National Express, commented:
“Our collaboration with CitySwift to deliver Spotlight for the benefit of bus users across the West Midlands, and in major cities across the UK, is a groundbreaking achievement for the National Express West Midlands and CitySwift teams.
“We are delighted to continue working in partnership with CitySwift over the coming years and proudly leading the charge in the UK when it comes to the use of AI-powered data and insights that are key to an efficient, cost-effective delivery of bus service performance for customers across our network.”
Designed for schedulers; Spotlight improves scheduler decision-making by providing AI-powered insights into performance and resource considerations such as timeliness, cost, and vehicle numbers. It scans the entire network, delivering service optimisation options, and efficiency improvements.
Andy Foster, Director of Bus Planning at National Express, added:
“We are excited to be extending CitySwift’s AI performance optimisation capabilities across our bus network in the West Midlands. Traffic conditions on our region’s roads have worsened and can negatively impact the reliability of our services. However, using CitySwift’s AI analytics and optimisation tools our skilled schedulers and network planners have been able to respond effectively, maximising our productivity and efficiency while also reducing late running for customers that rely on our bus services.”
Founded in 2016 by Brian O’Rourke and Alan Farrelly, CitySwift’s performance optimisation platform gives operators and transport authorities insights, recommendations, and predictions, supporting them in the delivery of efficient, reliable and in-demand services. CitySwift empowers public transport operators and authorities to achieve unparalleled efficiency by leveraging advanced analytics, simulations, and optimisations. With its easy-to-use industry-leading technology, CitySwift envisions a future where public transport is the travel mode of choice for all people.
Powered by AI data processing, CitySwift optimises over 1 billion passenger journeys annually, working with public sector transport authorities and private bus operators to break down the barriers to accessing and interpreting transport data, replacing manual analysis with reliable, actionable insights. This solution enhances efficiency, benefiting drivers, passengers, partners, and cities, whilst remaining human-centric throughout.
The renewed partnership with NXWM closely follows other developments for the Irish company, having opened its first UK office earlier this year in London and announcing additional partnerships with Transport North East, Transdev Blazefield, and trentbarton. Since its inception, CitySwift has grown to have a presence across the UK, US and its home territory of Ireland, covering transport networks in all major UK cities. Additionally, in February of this year CitySwift announced the close of its latest funding round of €7 million led by Gresham House Venture, as the company continues to scale for growth globally.
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