AI-powered partnership in UK: Transport for Greater Manchester turns to CitySwift to improve bus offer

CitySwift, focusing in performance optimisation for the public transport sector, announces it has partnered with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), in order to “power the future of Manchester’s public transport network through the use of AI and data“, as CitySwift states.

This move makes TfGM the first franchised transport authority in the UK to utilise AI to deliver more reliable, frequent and quicker bus journeys, building on the Greater Manchester Bus Strategy announced last year. In the UK outside London, there’s growing media attention on the prospect of public ownership of the bus network via franchised services. 

In early 2024, CitySwift raised €7M funding to accelerate smart transport data platform development.

CitySwift partners with Transport for Greater Manchester

The plans laid out in this report highlight Greater Manchester’s vision for the future bus network, aiming to make buses the first choice for more journeys within the Bee Network.

The strategy sets an initial target of a 30% increase in bus patronage by 2030 from 2022/23 levels, equating to nearly 50 million additional bus journeys annually. This growth will be driven by improvements such as a more integrated, user-friendly, and frequent network, and better infrastructure for reliable bus journeys, with CitySwift playing a key role in this transition.

Through this partnership, TfGM will have access to CitySwift’s performance data across the entire Bee Network, helping to identify trends and pain points such as traveller destinations and service performance, allowing them to recognise where improvements should be made to benefit passengers.

Additionally TfGM will leverage CitySwift’s latest product offering, Spotlight, a intelligent recommendation engine for bus network enhancements. Designed for stakeholders, the product enhances decision-making by providing AI-powered insights into performance and resource parameters like timeliness, cost, and vehicle numbers through scanning the whole network, executing optimisation variations, and proposing ROI improvements.

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.

Brian O’Rourke, CEO and Co-founder of CitySwift said “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.”

Catherine Towey, Senior Lead for Bus Franchising at TfGM said: “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. We can then use this information prioritise improvements and deliver a better service for passengers.”