Participated · Equity · May 2017

Swiftly has built a cloud-based big data platform specifically for public transit data and operations. It leverages big data and sophisticated algorithms to improve reliability and efficiency, and provides a suite of APIs to integrate services with other modes of transportation. The company says its technology can improve arrival predictions by up to 30% and complete planning projects up to 90% faster. Swiftly serves more than 90 transit agencies, supports over 5,500 transit professionals, and impacts over 1.6 billion passenger-trips per year. Sales have doubled year-over-year, and the company plans to use the new investment to accelerate product development. With added resources from JMI Equity, Swiftly intends to double headcount and expand customer-facing teams to serve more agencies and operators globally. Notable customers include SEPTA, MBTA, MDOT MTA, Miami-Dade Transit, Capital Metro, VIA, VTA, ComfortdelGro (Australia), SAPTA (Adelaide), Straeto (Iceland), and Region Värmland (Sweden). Swiftly provides a software-as-a-service platform that helps cities and transit agencies manage fleets, identify schedule or route issues, and improve service reliability. The company offers real-time passenger information that predicts bus arrival times and is reportedly up to 30% more accurate than existing systems. Its data platform gathers insights and analyzes historical data to inform route planning and stop placement; one customer used Swiftly's insights to change traffic lights to prioritize late buses. Swiftly is integrated into rider-facing tools such as Google Maps and city transit apps and is intended to operate behind the scenes for agencies. The company currently works with more than 50 cities and 2,500 transit professionals, powering over 1.2 billion passenger trips per year. With the new funding, Swiftly plans to expand to several hundred cities in the U.S. and worldwide. Swiftly offers enterprise data analytics and real-time passenger information software aimed at improving transit system performance and service reliability for cities and transit agencies. Its platform is used to deliver real-time passenger information and operational analytics. The company has deployed solutions in large metro areas such as Chicago and Boston, as well as scores of small- to mid-size cities. Led by Co-Founder and CEO Jonathan Simkin, Swiftly targets public transit and broader mobility services. Financially, the company announced a $2.5M funding round to support growth. The stated use of proceeds includes international expansion. Swiftly (formerly Swyft) launched out of beta in San Francisco and aims to be the “Waze” for public transit. The app uses an algorithm called Metronome that combines MUNI’s GPS data with crowdsourced inputs and machine learning to predict arrival times down to the second. It lists nearby stops with countdown timers, shows walking and biking alternatives (including estimated calories burned), and integrates UberX pricing and timing. Swiftly has gathered about 45,000 users during its beta period. Co-founder Jonny Simkin is cited discussing the company’s approach to improving accuracy as trips get closer in time. The product positions itself as a competitor to Nextbus, Moovit, Routesy and similar transit apps.