Galway start-up to double headcount after raising €1.5m

12 Mar 2019

From left: Alan Farrelly and Brian O’Rourke. Image: CitySwifter

CitySwifter is in the driving seat of a new data-powered transport revolution.

CitySwifter, which enables public transport firms to adjust timetables according to demand, is to double its headcount in Galway after raising €1.5m in funding.

The company plans to double headcount by hiring 12 new employees, most of whom will work in software development and data science.

‘CitySwifter has the potential to be one of Ireland’s next big success stories on the Irish tech scene’
– MIKE MCGEARTY

The round was led by Irelandia Investments, ACT Venture Capital,  Mike McGearty (the former CEO of CarTrawler) and other successful Irish transport entrepreneurs.

CitySwifter uses big data and predictive analytics to optimise high-frequency, urban bus networks.

It was founded in 2015 by Brian O’Rourke (CEO) and Alan Farrelly. Farrelly was familiar with the transport industry as his family founded Farrelly’s Coaches in the 1980s, and successfully grew it into one of the leading transport companies in the midlands.

Soon, the buses will be data-driven

“CitySwifter has the potential to be one of Ireland’s next big success stories on the Irish tech scene,” McGearty said. “They already have an impressive list of major UK clients and advantageous changing market trends on their side.”

As McGearty said, the investment was fuelled by traction in the UK market with a number of the largest publicly listed, UK-based, multinational transport companies signing up to the service.

CitySwifter has already analysed data and optimised urban bus networks in eight of the UK’s largest cities and is on track to become the leader in data-driven decision-making for bus networks globally.

“Beginning with expansion beyond the eight cities in the UK where we have successfully scaled our operations, this funding gives us an opportunity to grow and continue to help large public transportation companies and authorities globally, to revamp bus networks for both business and passenger service-level improvements,”O’Rourke said.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com