No More Guesswork: AI and the New Age of Transport Planning

The plight of public transport across the country, and perhaps across the world, is well known. For many even the term ‘public transport’ instantly conjures images of spending cold winter mornings waiting hours for services that are often delayed or take hours to arrive at the desired destination. The problems this causes are obvious, public transport can be an unfathomably beneficial service, linking urban areas to their rural counterparts and allowing potential to be unlocked across the country, but the reality is that many simply do not see it as a positive experience, or one that they want to partake in. Through the use of AI we can ensure that the benefits of public transport are unlocked by radically improving the performance, efficiency, and reach of public transportation networks. For too long, public transport has been defined by fixed schedules, outdated maps, and one-size-fits-all systems. AI gives us the chance to rethink it entirely, not just as a way to move people, but as a responsive, intelligent infrastructure that moves with them. What would cities look like if we designed transport systems around human behaviour in real time, not 20th-century schedules? AI might be the tool that lets us find out.

Public transport network planning is an area acutely disposed to the benefits of AI technology and assisted tools. With the combination of ticket scans, GPS, mobile transactions and app usage, public transport provides significantly rich mobility datasets. When AI is introduced to this plethora of data it can map out not just when people move but where and how, ensuring that transport stops reflect the realities of the areas and people that it is attempting to serve. The impact that this has is tenfold. Firstly, this allows transportation planners to reallocate resources from lesser used routes to those that are underserved and experiencing higher-than-expected levels of foot traffic. It also means that those controlling public transport can reroute services in the event of significant disruption, and ensure that delays, when they occur, are minimal and quickly resolved. 

Through the use of AI assisted tools, public transportation networks are now far better at reacting to issues, and ensuring their services fit the people they are serving. This is not a far off reality, and such tools are already being put into practice across the world. Optibus is a platform taking the lead in AI powered bus route optimisation, representing a new path forward for public transportation. Optibus recently revealed that ‘a landmark one million optimizations have been performed using its platform’ (Levner), with such optimisations having a material and tangible impact on the transport networks that have used them. The italian public transportation operator La Lina collaborated closely with Optibus to achieve ‘remarkable efficiency gains (+2.7%), reduce 358 kilometers of daily deadhead mileage, decrease peak vehicle requirement by 14.75%, and pave the way for sustainable transportation while maintaining service quality’ (Optibus), highlighting the benefits that such tools are having on the mission to ensure that public transport is more efficient and providing services that work for all. Optibus represents an AI powered tool at the very forefront of the modernisation of public transport planning, its CEO stated that they ‘developed a much more efficient and intelligent system using transport operators’ existing data. The optimisation engines check what is the best use of budgets and resources depending on decision criteria such as efficiency, operational or economical decision parameters, and take this into account to offer the best solution’ (Urban Transport Magazine). The future is here, and tools like Optibus are at the vanguard of a new age of public transport planning. 

One of the greatest challenges facing public transportation effectiveness is its ability to reach out to rural areas and ensure that they are connected to more urban hubs and regions. It is too common a story that transportation links either stop the minute they enter the countryside, or that if it does reach into rural regions, they are not frequent or well established enough to be a viable option for transport for many rural residents. In the Southeast United States, one answer to this very real problem with public transport networks has been found in AI-powered planning and optimisation. Transport networks in the Southeast faced ‘an uphill battle, forced to serve a large number of residents with limited transit funding’ (Via Transportation), this challenge was eased by the introduction of VIA Transport to rural transportation providers. The effects were felt in Wilson, North Carolina, which had previously had a bus system ‘designed to meet the commuting needs of the 1960s and proved ill-suited to the changing economic landscape of the 21st century’ (Via Transportation). It then partnered with Via to launch RIDE, an AI based system that matched users to on-demand microtransit transportation options. The impact was clear: ‘RIDE has significantly improved mobility for residents of Wilson. 75% of customers book trips using the Via Rider App, and the service boasts an average rider rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. Pre-COVID, Wilson’s fixed route system averaged 275 daily riders, and after the onset of the pandemic, ridership averaged 55 rides per day. Now, just months after launch, RIDE sees over 300 rides per day.’ (Via Transportation) demonstrating the ability for AI-powered tools to enhance the public transport experience as well as making it more accessible for potential users. 

‘The benefits to some AI-powered or informed systems are well studied and have clearly established their ability to increase efficiencies, improve safety, and reduce costs’ (Smith), helping to unlock a new age of public transport and ensuring that people, even in rural areas, have access to more affordable and green transportation options. With AI, we gain the power to build transport that plans around people, not the other way around, responsive to need, resilient in crisis, and ready to grow with the communities it serves. The cities and regions that embrace this shift won’t just move more people, they’ll move ahead.

Works Cited

Levner, Abigail. “AI-Powered Public Transportation Gains Momentum as Optibus Platform hits One Million Optimizations.” Optibus, 31 March 2025, https://blog.optibus.com/ai-powered-public-transportation-gains-momentum-as-optibus-platform-hits-one-million-optimizations?

Optibus. “How La Lina SpA saved 354 km/day and reduced PVR by 14.5%.” Optibus, 08 December 2023, https://optibus.com/case/how-la-linea-spa-saved-358-km-per-day-and-reduced-pvr-by-14-75/.

Smith, Arianna. “Artificial Intelligence in Public Transit: Better, Faster, Safer?” California Transit Association, 31 January 2024, https://caltransit.org/News/News-Announcements/Newsroom/artificial-intelligence-in-public-transit-better-faster-safer.

Urban Transport Magazine. “Interview: Optibus revolutionises transport planning with AI software - Urban Transport Magazine.” Urban Transport Magazine, 15 April 2021, https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/interview-optibus-revolutionises-transport-planning-with-ai-software/.

Via Transportation. “Microtransit for Old Town Roads: Planning and funding rural on-demand transit in the Southeast.” Via Transportation, 24 February 2021, https://ridewithvia.com/resources/microtransit-for-old-town-roads-planning-and-funding-rural-on-demand-transit-in-the-southeast.