Passengers on London bus routes optimised using CitySwift’s artificial intelligence tools have seen journey times fall by 1.5%, according to results announced by the transport technology company.
The reduction was measured using Transport for London’s Journey Time Metric (JTM), which combines bus speed and reliability to assess changes in customer experience. CitySwift said the improvement equates to an average saving of 27 seconds on each optimised journey.
Network-wide programme
CitySwift said passengers are expected to save more than 25 million hours over three years, with the time savings valued at more than £230m.
The programme was deployed in 2024 and brings TfL and London’s bus operators together on a shared data platform covering more than 650 routes and about five million daily customer journeys.
According to CitySwift, more than 40% of London’s bus network has now been reviewed, with 200 routes improved at no cost. The platform allows TfL and operators to plan, simulate and assess route changes before they are implemented on the road.
Brian O’Rourke, chief executive and co-founder of CitySwift, said: “Reaching this scale of impact with TfL and London’s operators, so early in our partnership, is an important milestone. 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.”