An Artifical Intelligence platform company and a leading shared mobility provider have announced they have partnered to give public transport agencies and operators an innovative approach to fleet optimisation
Optibus, which is a cloud-native AI platform powering mass transportation operations in over 450 cities around the world and Liftango, a leading APAC shared mobility provider have partnered to meet the increasing demands of public transit operations to incorporate on-demand components to complement fixed-route operations
The Optibus’ platform uses artificial intelligence to reduce costs and boost service quality by improving the efficiency of transit networks and schedules according to a statement from the two companies.
This includes planning routes, building timetables, scheduling vehicles and crews, as well as improving working conditions for drivers to increase retention they say.
Liftango brings its dynamic vehicle scheduling and routing expertise to the table, allowing passengers to book trips when and where they want with vehicles automatically dispatched and sent to the passenger location ‘on-demand’.
“The partnership with Liftango complements the planning and cost analysis of large, fixed-route public transport networks by meeting the needs of passengers who are not adequately served by other public transport options,” the companies said.
“This increases network coverage and ridership while using resources more efficiently, yielding greater cost savings for transport operators and agencies,” the statement added..
Kevin Orr, co-founder and CEO of Liftango said that offering an integrated system to enable public transport agencies and operators to improve the efficiency of a mixed bus network will allow for greater access to transport and give members of society a more sustainable way to move around.
“Partnering with Optibus enables us to provide the maximum benefit to passengers as well as transport providers,” said Orr.
As public transport networks continue to adopt on-demand solutions as part of their service offering, efficient design and implementation is needed in order to complement and not cannibalise existing services.
Optibus CEO and co-founder Amos Haggiag said the company was excited to announce Liftango as its latest on-demand partner.
“We look forward to working with Liftango to break down the silos between fixed-route and on-demand transportation, and offer a stronger, more comprehensive solution together,” Haggiag said.
The companies say that this partnership will extend within the APAC region where both Liftango and Optibus have a strong market presence.
Liftango says that it helps cities, communities and organisations reduce congestion and combat climate change by providing equitable access to shared transport through a carpool and On-Demand transport technology platform. It claims that the technology makes better use of vehicle capacity while giving passengers the freedom to travel the way they want to, helping cities evolve into smart cities, transit agencies to create better public bus systems and to digitise their services for better efficiency, and to create sustainable and scalable mobility solutions for their staff
Optibus’ AI platform that it claims powers complex transit operations in over 450 cities around the world, and has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer.
