England’s Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) – the local government body responsible for transport in the Manchester region – has partnered with CitySwift to deploy a performance optimization platform for the city’s bus network (the Bee Network). The goal is to power the future of Manchester’s public transport network through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and data.
This partnership is part of the Greater Manchester Bus Strategy which presents the city’s vision for the future bus network The Strategy aims to make buses the first choice for travel within the Bee Network, setting an initial target of a 30% increase in bus patronage by 2030 from 2022/23 levels, which would equal approximately 50 million additional bus journeys annually.
TfGM expects that this growth will be driven by improvements, including a more integrated, user-friendly, and frequent network and better infrastructure for reliable bus journeys. To this end, CitySwift’s performance optimization platform will play a key role in the transition. The platform gives operators and transport authorities insights, recommendations, and predictions, which supports them in the delivery of efficient, reliable and in-demand services. CitySwift states it empowers public transport authorities and operators to achieve unparalleled efficiency by leveraging advanced analytics, simulations, and optimisations.
“The goals and vision set out in the Great Manchester Bus Strategy speak clearly to our mission at CitySwift – grow patronage with frequent and more reliable buses. I am thrilled that we’re partnering with TfGM, supporting them in achieving this goal through our transport data-solutions, as we continue to build the smart cities of the future,” said Brian O’Rourke, CEO and co-founder of CitySwift.
CitySwift will provide TfGM with performance data from across the entire Bee Network, helping to identify trends and problems – such as traveler destinations and service performance – and enabling them to recognise where improvements should be made for the benefit of passengers. TfGM will also use CitySwift’s Spotlight, an intelligent recommendation engine for bus network enhancements.
“Customers are at the heart of the Bee Network and by working with CitySwift we will be able to see more clearly than ever how services are performing,” said Catherine Towey, senior lead for bus franchising at TfGM. “We can then use this information to prioritize improvements and deliver a better service for passengers.”