Swiftly, Inc.

In the San Francisco Bay Area—like much of the country—rising congestion from commutes is impacting transit service reliability. County Connection has invested in accurate transit data as a foundation to analyze performance, make impactful changes, and expand innovative new technologies. “With Swiftly, we get more detailed information on how the bus is performing from stop-to-stop,” says Pranjal Dixit, Manager of Planning. “We can analyze on-time performance more deeply to see where delays are occurring and make those changes.” With confidence in their data, the team is now measuring the success of a transit-priority pilot and looking at a solution for managing detours to further improve the rider experience. Read the new case study to learn how County Connection boosted performance in the present while preparing for the future with Swiftly’s Transit Data Platform: https://lnkd.in/d7_SJTZF

While we're aware the Grateful Dead saying "get on the bus" is at odds with an out-of-service deadhead bus, happy #DeadheadDay! 😊 🌼 🚌  Today, we celebrate the overlapping interests of Deadheads and public transit enthusiasts alike. If you have a story where the Grateful Dead intersects with transit, we're all ears! But we don't recommend that you get on a deadhead bus... 🎶 What a Long Strange Trip 🎶 that would be...

Holidays like the 4th of July are vacations for most, but for transit agency staff they are some of the most difficult days of the year. Parades and street closures result in detours that leave staff scrambling. Whether for holidays like July 4th or everyday disruptions, detours are a pain point for every transit agency. Today, we’re thrilled to add another feature to ease the burden: Multi-route detours are now available in Service Adjustments. With a few clicks, staff can now create the same detour across multiple routes in seconds, automatically updating internal data and public real-time passenger information. Learn more about detours with Swiftly here: https://lnkd.in/gXAgntv5

Well deserved Kudos to Pierce Transit! Quick addendum - worth mentioning this has been done using data from Swiftly, Inc. Indeed, alongside the benefits to customers, it's crucial to acknowledge the positive impact on drivers with more realistic schedules. Importantly, this overhaul also ensures drivers have more feasible break opportunities. Consider this: reaching the end of the line 'on-time' might actually mean they're slightly behind schedule due to operational nuances. With a revamped focus and methodology for runtime calibration (reducing "lates"), drivers can now trust that the layover they see on paper aligns more closely with reality on the streets. This shift isn't just about punctuality; it's about prioritizing the well-being and hashtag #retention of our hashtag #workforce. After all, without drivers, there are no transit services. Their satisfaction and rest opportunities are paramount to the smooth functioning of our transit system.

GTFS spearheaded the movement towards open data standards and opened the door to the modern transit rider experience. And it all began one evening in Portland in 2005… We interviewed TriMet’s Bibiana Kamler McHugh, one of the creators of GTFS, on how the standard came into existence almost 20 years ago. Read the full interview to hear stories from the day of the launch, promoting the standard around the world, and the future evolution of data standards: https://lnkd.in/g_ytn2CT

Reports and data trends are important for understanding transit performance. But sometimes agency staff need tools to dive deep into a certain line or pinpoint a single trip. In a new post, David Lonergan shares how agencies can use Swiftly’s GPS Playback to make small changes that can add up to a big impact for riders and staff. Read the post to learn how agencies are diving into the data to investigate passenger complaints, resolve investigations, and validate operator behavior: https://lnkd.in/g3ukbcFn

This Juneteenth, may all of us in transportation remember to confront the persisting gaps in transit access and continue the work toward transit equity, particularly for Black communities. Take some time to explore the maps, charts, and datasets across TransitCenter's Equity Dashboard (https://lnkd.in/gSJzupen). This is a powerful resource for the transit-curious and those planning, scheduling, managing, operating, and delivering transit service with equity in mind. Happy Juneteenth! 

School might be out for summer, but there's never been a better time to study up on what drives reliable campus transportation.  📖 🚌    Dive into Michael Smith's newest blog on the four requirements of good transit data on campuses: https://lnkd.in/gqk6s2i7

All aboard for Pride Month! 🚆 Pride is a great time to celebrate the LGBTQIA community’s past, present, and future. Here at Swiftly, we strive to foster an open, inclusive, and supportive culture for everyone, including our LGBTQIA team members. One way we do this is through our benefits and cultural norms. To highlight a few that help support our employees in general and our LGBTQIA employees in particular: Access to Wellbeing stipend. Swiftly offers a stipend to support team members (or their partner or child) in need of rights or services that are unavailable, unsafe, or prohibitively expensive in their own state. This stipend is a helping hand to those who may be living in states becoming increasingly hostile toward LGBTQIA folks. For example, this stipend can be used for gender-affirming care amidst ongoing anti-trans legislation and applies to costs associated with travel, lodging, bringing a travel companion, or the services themselves. Pronouns at work. We’ve created a framework for all Swiftlets, regardless of gender identity, to normalize sharing pronouns. This includes guidance and resources for respecting all pronouns and gender identities. We see this as crucial for everyone to feel comfortable being themselves at work, especially our trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming coworkers. Queer Swifters ERG. We have a thriving Employee Resource Group for LGBTQIA team members, providing an unstructured space to build community, camaraderie, and support for queer folks at Swiftly. ERGs are an important ground-up force for maintaining our diversity and culture at Swiftly, and we look forward to continuing to sponsor and support them. However you celebrate Pride Month, we hope you have a meaningful one! 🚉 🌈

That’s a wrap on CTAA 🌴 👏 And a huge congratulations to Transit Services of Frederick County for winning CTAA’s Community Transportation System of the Year - Large System award, pictured here with Roman Steichen and Jaime McKay, CCTM, CSSO, TDM-CP! We’re excited to see their agency's growth and dedication firsthand. What a way to kick off the summer conference season!