National Express West Midlands (NXWM) has expanded its partnership with CitySwift to enhance bus performance using AI technology.
This renewed three-year collaboration builds on the companies’ previous success in enhancing bus punctuality and operational efficiency.
Since implementing CitySwift’s advanced AI and data technology in September 2023, NXWM has reduced its late running by over 20%. It has also decreased customer wait times and increased the number of passengers per journey.
NXWM is now extending CitySwift’s platform across its entire fleet of over 1,400 buses.
Operating in the largest UK urban bus market outside London, NXWM serves an average of 210 million passenger journeys annually in the West Midlands. The company has worked closely with CitySwift to develop transport solutions that analyse passenger and service data to drive optimal performance and resource efficiency.
Alan Farrelly, CCO and Co-founder of CitySwift said:National Express West Midlands has been pivotal in CitySwift’s product development since 2019. We are thrilled to extend our partnership for another three years, allowing NXWM to further enhance the public transport network and improve passenger experiences through our technology.
A key component of CitySwift’s latest offerings is Spotlight, an intelligent recommendation engine designed for bus network enhancements. NXWM is the first UK transport operator to adopt Spotlight, making the West Midlands the inaugural region worldwide to benefit from this innovative tool.
Spotlight facilitates quicker, more customer-focused decisions that balance resources, passengers, cities, and operators.
Designed for schedulers, it enhances decision-making by providing AI-powered insights into performance and resource considerations such as timeliness, cost, and vehicle numbers. It scans the entire network, offering service optimisation options and efficiency improvements.
Ed Rickard, Network Director at National Express said:Our collaboration with CitySwift to deliver Spotlight is a groundbreaking achievement for both teams. We are proud to lead the UK in utilising AI-powered data and insights to deliver efficient, cost-effective bus services across our network.
