CitySwift aims for double-decker success as it targets US expansion
The software firm, whose mission is to get the buses running on time, has doubled its turnover in each of the last three years and is expected to do so again in 2023
CitySwift, the mobility software company focused on buses, is targeting expansion in the US and the rest of the world, with initial deals signed in Asia, the US and Africa.
The business has doubled its turnover in each of the last three years and is expected to do so again in 2023. CitySwift also has plans to almost double its staff to 100 people within the next two years.
“Our plan is to double our headcount over the next two years, to support expansion plans into the US as well as building on top of our platform going forward. From a funding perspective, we're growing very fast,” Brian O’Rourke, co-founder of CitySwift told the Business Post.
“Now it’s about ensuring we deliver on the initial deals that are signed, and then multiplying the contract sizes and expanding that into the American market. We have our initial US deals and are building out our American expansion strategy.”
CitySwift is focused on making bus network operations more efficient as well as cost efficient. O’Rourke said the goal is to make sure that the buses arrive on time using data and technology, while concurrently making them more efficient.
“On average at the moment, three out of five buses might arrive on time. With CitySwift, we're getting that up to four and a half, or closer to five,” he said.
The company currently employs 55 people and has raised €8 million in funding to date, with plans for another round of funding to help with the US expansion plans.
O’Rourke and his co-founder Alan Farrelly met in school in Longford. Farrelly’s family bought their first bus in the 1980s, and Farrelly’s coaches became a successful bus company in Ireland. O’Rourke’s background is in information systems.
When they both left college they noticed an opportunity to use technology to improve customer experience with buses, similar to what taxi companies such as Uber and FreeNow have done in the past.
“We felt that buses were kind of getting left behind, and then we set out a building technology and data platform to solve the major issues that operators, authorities and passengers face when using public transport,” O’Rourke said.
He said that Enterprise Ireland has been with them from the beginning, starting with new frontiers before graduating to the high potential start-up unit (HPSU).
“In the UK, America, as well as Europe, the Enterprise Ireland offices have been essential in effective business development functions for us. They've been able to get us a lot of meetings with government transport authorities overseas, getting us in at the right levels, and giving us representation of the Irish government abroad,” he said.
“In this sector, where we're selling a lot to governments and governments abroad, it has been a considerable advantage that we've been able to use that to dip our toe into these markets, do a lot of research, get initial meetings, and then decide which ones are the best for us to expand into.”
This Making it Work article was produced in partnership with Enterprise Ireland
