Swiftly, the leading big data and mobility service platform for transportation, has been accepted into Elemental Excelerator’s (EEx) Equity & Access Track. The program is designed to increase access to innovation for low- to moderate-income (LMI) communities in California.  

“We are very excited to join an inspiring group of innovators in the mobility space as part of Elemental Excelerator’s 2019 Equity & Access cohort” said Jonny Simkin, Swiftly’s Co-Founder and CEO. “We look forward to using the funds to make transit more reliable for communities that need it most in our home state.”

Elemental Excelerator enables innovative technology companies to provide sustainable solutions for LMI communities. Transit is a key piece of this puzzle, creating low cost mobility for riders while facilitating an efficient alternative to greenhouse gas emitting cars. Swiftly harnesses billions of data points and sophisticated algorithms to improve transit system performance, service reliability, and real-time passenger information empowering commuters to choose public transportation over personal vehicles.

"Nearly every transit agency uses on-time performance as a key performance indicator for public transportation, but lacks the tools to easily find out when and where issues are occurring, why they are occurring, and what the impact is on performance. Swiftly helps solve these challenges," says Aki Marceau, Director of Policy and Community at Elemental Excelerator. "Transit passengers, predominantly comprised of people who earn below median wage, are a key market for this kind of innovation. Historically, their user experience has been overlooked."

Swiftly will receive an investment of up to $550,000 to build a new headway module with the goal of maintaining stable spacing between vehicles so that transit service is more reliable. Swiftly is working on this project with Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), a close partner and early adopter of Swiftly.

“Swiftly is one of VTA’s key Innovation partners, working together to solve transit-related issues.  In our current endeavor we’re collaborating to use Swiftly generated real-time vehicle performance information to help identify where strategic investment is needed in our train and bus service route planning.” Said Gary Miskell Chief Information and Technology Officer at VTA.    

Swiftly currently enables VTA to improve ridership and rider satisfaction by generating highly accurate and reliable real-time information through any point of rider interaction, including mobile apps, web pages, electronic stops displays, and SMS systems. Additionally, Swiftly empowers VTA to quickly and efficiently make decisions agency-wide by monitoring on-time performance, travel times, dwell times, and more.

About Swiftly

Swiftly develops enterprise software to help transit agencies and cities improve urban mobility. Built by transportation experts for transportation professionals, the Swiftly platform harnesses billions of data points and sophisticated algorithms to improve transit system performance, service reliability, and real-time passenger information. Over 50 cities from coast to coast use Swiftly’s technology platform, improving transportation services for millions of riders each day. Swiftly is backed by leading mobility investors, including Ford Smart Mobility, Samsung NEXT, Via ID, and RATP Dev.

About Elemental Excelerator

Elemental Excelerator helps startups change the world, one community at a time. Each year, they find 15-20 companies that best fit their mission and fund each company up to $1 million to improve systems that impact people's lives: energy, mobility, water, agriculture, and beyond. To date, they have awarded over $30 million to more than 80 companies. For more information, please visit elementalexcelerator.com.