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    1. Technology
    2. Computer Hardware & Software

    Optibus offers public transit industry short-term, no-cost ‘Build Back Better’ license for planning and scheduling

    July 7, 2021
    The temporary license is aimed at helping agencies create multiple scenarios as they work to recover from the pandemic.
    Related To: Optibus
    Optibus
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    Optibus has announced that transit agencies and operators worldwide are now eligible for a three-month, no-cost Build Back Better license for digital planning, scheduling and rostering products from the company’s AI transit planning platform. 

    The license helps agencies and operators recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and adjust to changes in ridership. 

    The return to pre-pandemic life has had a varied effect on public transportation. According to the Citymapper Mobility Index, ridership remains down over 60 percent in cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal and Amsterdam. Other cities have recovered quicker, with Singapore, Paris and Birmingham already operating at more than 80 percent of regular ridership rates. Now is a critical moment in which transit agencies are challenged to adapt their services to reflect changing demands and regain trust in the health and safety of mass transit. 

    At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Optibus helped dozens of cities and transportation providers weather the frequently changing needs of passengers by offering a no-cost temporary license to create contingency plans using their planning and scheduling platform.

    Now, as many countries head out of the pandemic to a new (but still uncertain) normal, Optibus is extending its hand to the transportation industry, helping cities and towns around the world build back better post-COVID-19.

    Optibus’ Build Back Better license allows transit agencies to create multiple scheduling scenarios quickly; adjust routes and frequencies to meet changing demand, traffic patterns and constraints; build new routes or route variations that enable riders to travel for work, school and leisure as countries reopen; reduce operating costs and optimize budgets with the impacted farebox recovery; and move toward a zero-emissions future with electric vehicle planning and scheduling tools that enable more efficient, mixed fleets and the deployment of zero-emissions vehicles.

    “Just as we offered a no-cost license for COVID-19 contingency plans in 2020, we are now offering a no-cost, limited license to help agencies build back better and prepare for post-COVID travel needs as we head out of the pandemic,” said Optibus CEO and co-founder Amos Haggiag.

    To get a no-cost Build Back Better license, register online by July 30, 2021, subject to availability.