Bus-Schedule Planner Optibus Boosts Global Reach

The Fellowship | March 10, 2021

Congestion in Tel Aviv by the Savidor Central Rail Station. This is a daily occurrence when traffic in Tel Aviv, as in other large cities, comes to a virtual standstill during much of the day.

Israeli innovators of the startup nation continue to make some amazing strides in technology – like this Tel Aviv-based startup Optibus – working toward solutions to help optimize public transportation across the globe. The startup uses software to analyze the best routes and bus schedules within minutes.

The Times of Israel reports this transportation software is already in 450 cities around the world, like New York and Los Angeles, and now the company continues to expand its global reach, launching a new software suite:

“Effective public transportation is a critical part of a well-functioning society, and with the rise of new mobility options and electric vehicles, paired with the added challenge of the pandemic, city operators face more complexity than ever,” said Alex Ferrara, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. “Optibus stands out as a modern cloud-based solution that cuts through this complexity, allowing transit operators to plan routes and optimize schedules in minutes rather than days, promoting a more affordable and passenger-friendly experience.”
The startup recently launched its new Geospatial software suite, which aims to make transportation networks in cities more passenger-friendly by visualizing crucial geographic information while planning routes. These could be bike paths that riders may use on the way to or from public transit, or the shopping districts, schools, health clinics or job centers where passengers may want to go. The suite can also show demographic data, highlighting how certain route changes could affect residents’ access to public transit. These capabilities can facilitate data-driven decisions that have the power to “significantly improve the accessibility, reliability and performance of networks that affect the lives of millions of passengers,” the company said in a statement.