New Zealand-headquartered public transport technology company Snapper Services is boosting its data and analytics offering as it expands its presence in the UK to help operators and local authorities better manage their networks.
Well-established for intelligent ticketing solutions in the New Zealand marketplace, Snapper Services, part of the ICM Mobility Group, is aiming to help its customers create better public transport experiences across UK networks. The company says it plans to achieve this through a suite of intelligent, data-driven tools and user-friendly interfaces that paint a full picture of transport operations for authorities and operators, helping to streamline and improve operator performance, to provide a better and more attractive service to passengers.
The decision to expand comes at what the firm sees as a critical time for UK bus operators, as passenger volumes and local passenger journeys start to climb again following the Covid-19 pandemic, while the current shortage in drivers, as well as rising fuel costs, mean bus operators are under added pressure to keep up with surging demand.
Executive Director at Snapper Services UK Jon Salmon said: “In the UK, many authorities are left in the dark as to what is happening in their networks and therefore how to solve problems. This is because of large-scale inefficiencies in the process of collecting, processing, and gaining actionable insights from transit data.
“It is only through trusted data and real-time insights that transport authorities can, using reliable information on exact routes and potential timing issues, improve network consistency and efficiency, save on resources and ultimately, create better transport experiences that drive the journey to a sustainable world.
“This is exactly what Snapper Services has succeeded in helping New Zealand’s transport industry to do, and as we expand our company and partnerships across the UK, we look forward to working with the many transport authorities and operators we know want to create better networks.”
Snapper Services has been working with Ireland’s National Transport Authority since 2015 to provide a mobile reload application for the Irish transport card, Leap. In the UK, Snapper Services UK supports the West Yorkshire Combined Authority with data-enabled insights into bus services across the region, with a number of other customers in the UK and Ireland scheduled to follow, the company says. With ambitions to grow its UK business, Snapper Services UK plans to expand over the next six months to include dedicated marketing support and additional sales executives.
