Journey times on London bus routes optimised using CitySwift’s data platform have fallen by 1.5%, according to results from the company’s network-wide partnership with Transport for London (TfL) and the capital’s bus operators.
The reduction was measured using TfL’s Journey Time Metric (JTM), a single measure that combines speed and reliability to track customer experience. For an individual passenger, CitySwift says the 1.5% reduction equates to 27 seconds saved on every optimised journey.
In the video, above, TfL’s director of buses Lorna Murphy and head of performance deliver Nick Owen, explain how CitySwift has improved journey times.
Projected savings
Over three years, passengers are expected to save more than 25 million hours in journey time, valued at over £230 million, according to the company. The release does not set out how that valuation was calculated.
CitySwift began deploying in 2024. The programme brings TfL and London’s bus operators onto a single shared data platform across more than 650 routes and five million daily customer journeys. CitySwift describes it as one of the largest coordinated bus performance initiatives in the world.
Plan, simulate, prove
Using the platform, TfL and the operators plan and simulate route changes and measure their impact before the changes reach the road. More than 40% of London’s bus network has been reviewed so far, and 200 routes have been improved at no cost, the company says.
“Reaching this scale of impact with TfL and London’s operators, so early in our partnership, is an important milestone,” says Brian O’Rourke, chief executive and co-founder of CitySwift. “It shows what’s possible when an authority and its operators work from one platform to deliver better bus services for one of the world’s most complex transport networks.”
CitySwift, which describes itself as the data operating layer for bus networks, connects network design, performance optimisation, live operations and contract management with performance data. Its clients include Go-Ahead Group, Arriva UK Bus, Transport for London, Transport for Greater Manchester, Translink and Bus Éireann.
Other developments
The announcement follows a new partnership between CitySwift and Arriva UK Bus, and a renewed and extended partnership with Bus Éireann. Alan Farrelly, chief commercial officer and co-founder of CitySwift, has also been appointed UITP National Ambassador for Ireland, a role within the International Association of Public Transport (UITP).
TfL, the integrated transport authority for London, runs the city’s bus network in partnership with eight private operators and also manages the main road network, traffic signals and cycling infrastructure. More information is available from TfL.
