
News, trends, research and best practice
EBooks
BSIPs: Leading the Bus Revolution
An exploration of the trends and innovative ideas gleaned from the first round of BSIPs.
The Data-Driven Bus Operator
How big data, AI and machine learning are being used by modern bus operators around the world.
Beyond Covid: Building Back Better
What happens to public transport around the world in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Passenger Satisfaction Playbook
The most common passenger concerns and what bus operators can do to alleviate them.
How to Bus Back Better
An insight into how England’s National Bus Strategy can be delivered – and how data can help.
The Public Transport Report 2021
How the industry feels about the Covid experience, the future and the role of data and technology.
Bus Network Development Strategy for the ‘New Normal’
How bus operators can react and adapt to the ‘new normal’ using the latest tools and technologies.
From our blog
Case Study: Whippet leverage mobility intelligence to plan ahead with new insights
Whippet partners with CitySwift to access the complete picture of passenger demand and operational insights needed to supercharge network planning and reporting - at speed.
‘I love this job'
We caught up with Abellio London’s Mariusz Przybylski who was named as the winner of the Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award last month.
International Women’s Day at CitySwift 2022
To mark the 111th International Women’s Day, CitySwift is celebrating each of our female workforce by #BreakingTheBias.
Mariusz Przybylski: Scheduler of the Year 2021
Abellio London's Mariusz Przybylski received the Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award at a ceremony that included a tribute to our friend and colleague Joe Wood.
Scheduler of the Year Award 2021: Meet the finalists
Meet the five worthy finalists for the Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award and register to watch the award ceremony online.
Irish technology company selected to support New York’s data-driven public transit strategy
Galway-based transit data specialist CitySwift participates in Transit Tech Lab’s COVID-19 Challenge to make New York’s public transit system safer, healthier and more responsive
BSIPs: Leading the Bus Revolution eBook
Our latest eBook investigates the potential impact of BSIPs on England’s bus landscape and explores trends and innovative ideas in the first round of plans submitted.
Sign up for the Scheduler of the Year Award ceremony
The Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award takes place on Friday, February 25th. Register to join us online and celebrate the vital work done by these unsung heroes.
Scheduler of the Year Award 2021: the finalists
We received nominations from bus companies large and small, from across the UK and beyond. The judges have reviewed all the entries and selected their shortlist.
Bus back better with a bespoke BSIP platform
Our BSIP platform helps LTAs and bus operators to develop and implement ambitious yet achievable plans – and visualise, track and report key metrics 'out-of-the-box'.
Transport for Wales and CitySwift announce pilot programme
Transport for Wales partners with CitySwift to embark on an AI-driven bus strategy to optimise public transport services in Wales using data and machine learning.
Tailoring bus networks for new travel patterns
As we get a clearer picture of how the pandemic permanently affected demand patterns, changes must be made to address the supply/demand mismatch.
The perfect public transport system
In the second part of our fifth anniversary chat with Brian O’Rourke, we discuss public transport and what the perfect transport system might look like.
Five years of CitySwift
As CitySwift celebrates its fifth anniversary and reaches the 50 employee milestone, we sat down with CEO Brian O’Rourke to look back on the journey.
Scheduler of the Year Award judges announced
A four-strong judging panel, including last year's winner, will decide who gets crowned 2021's Scheduler of the Year.
Minimising the impact of bus driver shortages
With bus driver shortages becoming an ongoing challenge, we explain how data can help mitigate the impact.
We're one of LinkedIn's top ten sought-after startups
CitySwift has been named in LinkedIn's first-ever top ten list of most sought-after startups to work for in Ireland.
Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award returns for 2021
The Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award, sponsored by CitySwift, will again raise awareness of the profession and its importance to public transport.
The bus data revolution: Becoming data-ready
Sarah McCartan, Head of Insights at CitySwift, explains what bus operators should do to ensure they are ‘data-ready’.
The bus data revolution: The game-changer
Why data could be the game-changer that transforms the economics of the bus sector.
NXWM and CitySwift announce three-year partnership
National Express West Midlands selects CitySwift to optimise bus routes across the West Midlands in a three-year technology partnership.
Bus Back Better: Improving the passenger experience
In the final part of our look at the UK National Bus Strategy, we explain how passengers can be placed at the heart of Bus Service Improvement Plans.
Bus Back Better: Integrating zero emission buses
In the third part of our look at the UK National Bus Strategy, we look at the challenge of integrating zero emission buses.
Bus Back Better: Identifying bus priority requirements
In the second part of our look at the UK National Bus Strategy, we examine how data can be used to identify where bus priority measures will prove most effective.
Bus Back Better: Improving journey time & punctuality
An insight into the UK National Bus Strategy and how journey planning and punctuality can be improved using data and technology.
Covid-19 forced public transport to be at its most agile
Covid-19 forced the adoption of new working practises and technologies at a pace never before seen. If this innovation continues, buses will have a bright future.
Five things you can learn from our Public Transport Report
After surveying public transport professionals on the Covid experience and the future of the industry, we reveal five key findings from the results.
The Public Transport Report 2021
We ask public transport professionals how they feel about the Covid experience, the future of the transport sector and the role data and technology will play.
Data-led optimisation of the bus sector
CitySwift's Brian O'Rourke was a panelist in Intelligent Transport's roundtable discussion on the role data is playing in helping the bus sector's Covid recovery.
A vision for a green future
How CitySwift is using data and technological advances in transport to fight climate change.
International Women’s Day at CitySwift
To mark the 110th International Women’s Day, CitySwift is celebrating each of our female workforce by #ChoosingToChallenge.
Five things you can learn from our latest eBook
Will we witness a bright new beginning for public transport as governments seek to ‘build back better’? Here's five things you can learn from our latest eBook.
Rebuilding public transport for a brighter future
We explore what the post-Covid world could look like for bus operators... and the opportunities that await.
Beyond Covid: Building Back Better eBook
Our latest eBook offers an in-depth look at how Covid-19 has affected public transport – and how our industry can rebuild for a brighter future.
Meet the team: Vijani Bulumulla
Vijani Bulumulla, our Senior UX/UI Designer, on why she chose to work here; what an 'average' day looks like for our design team; and what makes CitySwift different.
Data fuels Go North West’s response to the pandemic
Go North West uses data to help deliver its response to Covid-19 – an example of how modern bus operators use emerging tech to deliver services day-in and day-out.
Six positive outcomes from the Covid crisis
Our panelists were in a buoyant mood at the Scheduler of the Year Award. Rather than dwell on the negative impacts of Covid, they offered us six positive outcomes.
‘The trick is to make a difficult job look easy’
We caught up with Trentbarton’s Richard Sherratt, who was named as the inaugural winner of the Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award last month.
CitySwift wins UITP Global Startup Challenge
Flying the flag for Ireland, CitySwift has won the UITP Global Startup Challenge at IT-TRANS 2020.
SwiftConnect awarded 'Technology Innovation of the Year'
Our SwiftConnect bus capacity prediction tech won the prestigious ‘Technology Innovation of the Year’ Award at the 28th Annual Technology Ireland Industry Awards.
Richard Sherratt: Scheduler of the Year 2020
Trentbarton's Richard Sherratt received the Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award at a virtual ceremony that included a tribute to our friend and colleague Joe Wood.
The Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award is back
Relaunched as a live, virtual event, the Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award will be presented on Thursday, 19th November 2020.
‘It's not the future anymore. It's the present’
East Yorkshire's Claire Robinson tells us how data has changed everything for the bus operator - from ticketing to timetables - and how it enables social distancing.
Case Study: The Go-Ahead Group – When2Travel
CitySwift partnered with The Go-Ahead Group to create a groundbreaking technology which predicts the best time to travel on public transport.
CitySwift 101: Introducing our bus data engine
The CitySwift platform consists of three unique modules that use big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning to digitalise public transport networks.
Meet the team: Paul Allison
Paul Allison, our Lead Front End Engineer, on why he chose to work here; what an 'average' day looks like for our tech team; and what makes CitySwift different.
Seven things you can learn from our latest eBook
Data can bring enormous benefits to bus operators and aid everything from network planning to social distancing and lobbying. Here are the top seven from our eBook.
We’re hiring! 50 new roles over the next 24 months
CitySwift co-founders Brian O’Rourke and Alan Farrelly announce an expansion of the business – with a new HQ in Galway city and 50 new hires over the next two years.
The Data-Driven Bus Operator eBook
Savvy bus operators are harnessing the power of data like never before – and there’s no going back. The era of the data-driven bus operator has well-and-truly begun.
Congestion is returning – are we ready?
As lockdowns ease, rapid increases in traffic congestion have become a problem that buses can help to solve.
How data can get bus users safely back to school/work
We speak with bus operators about how they are using data to help passengers plan their journeys and head back to school/work with confidence.
Seeking opportunity from adversity
Alex Hornby, Chief Executive of Transdev Blazefield discusses the ways in which they reassured passengers returning to travel.
NXWM launches AI-driven bus capacity prediction technology
National Express West Midlands has launched an AI-driven predictive bus capacity checker to help bus users choose the best time to travel, aiding social distancing.
Bus open data possibilities are endless
Passengers should be able to access clear, consistent information about bus services. The world will watch how the UK’s Bus Open Data Service develops with interest.
'Bus has a very bright future indeed'
McGill’s MD Ralph Roberts tells us he's confident that the bus industry has a very bright future, referring to the Coronavirus pandemic as ‘a time of discovery’.
Meet the graduates
CitySwift is growing fast, but we only hire the top 1% of candidates. Let's hear from our most recently recruited graduates.
Reasons to be cheerful
The last few months have seen the creativity and tenacity of the bus industry at its best. Let’s look back and see what we’ve achieved during these difficult times.
Reacting and adapting to the 'new normal'
In the 'new normal', bus operators need to respond to rapid and unforeseeable changes in demand at a time when they need to spend every penny as wisely as possible.
A data-driven recovery for the bus sector
As lockdown restrictions lift, the bus industry must ensure a smooth recovery and a safe return to public transport. Data should be at the heart of the process.
From Paisley to Riyadh and beyond!
On the 50th anniversary of his joining the bus industry, CitySwift board member Robert Montgomery reflects on his career and considers the future of buses.
Why we’re in the cloud
Our CEO, Brian O’Rourke on how CitySwift got started and how other companies might go about creating their own cloud software.
CitySwift closes €2 million funding round
CitySwift has closed a funding round of €2 million. Here's what it means for our company, our clients and our industry.
Public transport can and will be the 'natural first choice'
We are in the eye of a brutal and unexpected storm. But that storm will pass and public transport will rise again, reaching its baseline and perhaps going beyond it.
The most powerful use of big data for buses yet?
Go North East MD, Martijn Gilbert discusses the innovative When2Travel bus capacity predictor, how it came about and the potential for big data in the bus industry.
When2Travel harnesses the power of data to reassure bus users
We worked with the Go-Ahead Group to quickly develop and launch an innovative technology tool that provides bus users with dynamic information about bus loads.
NXWM deploys SwiftMetrics across its network
National Express West Midlands rolls out SwiftMetrics across its entire bus network to support a data-powered recovery.
The Road to Recovery eBook
We're pleased to announce a new CitySwift eBook, 'The Road to Recovery' – a guide to predicting and planning for recovery as coronavirus restrictions ease.
Prioritising 'active travel' must not leave buses behind
New guidance for prioritising 'active travel' on road networks should be lauded. But plans should be data-driven and enable a future, enhanced role for buses.
How a Bluetooth tracing app could get passengers back onto buses
Could Bluetooth contact tracing apps be the catalyst to enable public transport to make a swift recovery when restrictions are lifted?
Thank you to all the bus workers
Today is Bus Workers Support Day. A day to thank all the drivers, mechanics and operational teams that continue to keep our towns and cities moving.
How COVID-19 changed our machine learning algorithms
To help bus operators through the pandemic, we have to provide accurate, relevant insights that will aid their decision-making in a constantly-changing environment.
Let’s seize the moment
Bus companies must focus on how to manage the drop in revenue due to coronavirus, how to continue to support local communities – and how to plan for recovery.
Scheduler of the Year Award 2020: the finalists
We received nominations from bus companies large and small, from across the UK. The judges have reviewed all the entries and selected their shortlist.
Digitally transforming bus journeys
CitySwift CEO Brian O'Rourke was recently invited to speak at MOVE – Mobility Reimagined. Here's an excerpt from his presentation.
DevOps for buses
Software development and bus ops aren't that different! A bus schedule is like software that runs on buses. Schedulers are developers and passengers are users.
The Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award 2020
Bus schedulers play a vital role, but rarely get the recognition they deserve. We've teamed up with Passenger Transport to launch a new award for 2020.
It's time for more bus operators to embrace SaaS and AI
How and why bus operators should embrace cloud-native SaaS technology platforms and machine learning.
What impact does Black Friday have on bus networks?
Over the last two years there's been a 12%-20% increase in UK bus passengers on Black Friday. This year, 26% more adults plan to take part. Is your network ready?
Uber's lost licence is good news for London's bus passengers
Uber losing its licence to operate in London may have black cab drivers rubbing their hands with glee, but bus passengers might also have reason to celebrate.
Powering the smart city revolution
Cities worldwide are changing, becoming more connected, more sustainable and more liveable. Discover how Irish innovation is powering the smart city revolution.
Bus passenger concerns (and what to do about them)
The most common bus passenger concerns are value for money, punctuality, frequency and journey times. Here's our advice on how to deal with each of them.
Feeling the pinch? Apply for local pinch point funding
The UK Government has launched a £150 million local pinch point fund, for local authorities to bid for high-impact schemes to address their congestion pinch points.
The Passenger Satisfaction Playbook eBook
We're delighted to announce the publication of the first CitySwift eBook, 'The Passenger Satisfaction Playbook' – a guide to increasing bus passenger loyalty.
We are now CitySwift
Our platform has a great track record of helping bus companies optimise their schedules, so we decided it was time to optimise our name.
A 'secret sauce' to transform the bus industry
Delivering enhanced reliability and greater passenger satisfaction at less cost through a better understanding of data opens up a whole new future for urban buses.
CitySwift is Siliconrepublic's 'Startup of the Week'
Renowned technology website Siliconrepublic has awarded CitySwift its coveted 'Startup of the Week' accolade.