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Improving public transport is more than a job; it’s a mission
To mark St Patrick’s Day, CitySwift was chosen as one of ten Irish green innovators featured in Enterprise Ireland's ‘Ready for the Green Future’ campaign. CitySwift is helping bus operators to fight the climate crisis by using data technologies to strategically improve public transportation, making more sustainable modes of transportation more efficient and user-friendly.
In their own words, here's why Enterprise Ireland chose us:
CitySwift: A vision for a green future
Imagine a world where people from cities, suburbs, and the countryside have equal access to work, schools, and commercial centres. It’s a place where getting to and from your destination is easy, predictable, clean, and quick. In this hypothetical world, both rich and poor use shared transport simply because it's the best way to get around. Plus, the vehicles are 100% electric. Sound far-fetched? Not to the team at CitySwift. These transit innovators believe that, thanks to technological advances in transport, this cleaner, greener future is on its way.
“Thanks to technological advances in transport, this cleaner, greener future is on its way.”
How CitySwift are creating a greener future
How are CitySwift contributing to this vision? One word: data. Their original technology platform enables the collection of large amounts of information across transport networks, including buses, trams, and trains. They monitor statistics like passenger numbers, peak locations and usage, delays, and more. CitySwift then organise, analyse, and utilise this data to offer two major benefits to transit authorities: increased efficiency and improved passenger experience.
By helping networks to optimise routes, stay on schedule, and avoid crowding, CitySwift effectively increase the number of people using public transport. In fact, every 15% boost in bus punctuality results in 7.5% greater passenger demand. In a city like London, where two million people ride the bus every day, that’s 150,000 extra people choosing the bus over driving or grabbing a taxi—the environmental impacts of which are significant! Shared transit is by far the cleanest, greenest way to travel. Road vehicles account for 15% of total CO2 emissions worldwide. If everyone started trading private cars for public transport, we could drastically reduce global emissions. And, if you think traditional buses are green, just think how much more environmentally friendly our transport systems would be if we could transition to zero emissions.
"If everyone started trading private cars for public transport, we could drastically reduce global emissions."
Bringing a green future into the present
CitySwift’s technology is already being used to anticipate the transition from diesel buses to 100% electric. Several of their customers in the UK have committed to making this transition in the near future—but these changes are logistically challenging. Charging times and locations, driver change-over, mileage, power usage; these all complicate roll-out. Everything from a hilly road to a hot day could affect how long a bus battery will last. CitySwift see this as an opportunity for data collection to inform electric bus route planning. Their tech will be integral to scaled deployment of electric bus fleets in the UK and beyond, which bodes well for our planet’s future. For the team at CitySwift, improving public transport is more than a job; it’s a mission.
"Their tech will be integral to scaled deployment of electric bus fleets in the UK and beyond, which bodes well for our planet’s future."
