Optibus Blog

How Optibus & Snapper Services Empower Operators and Agencies to Provide More Reliable Services

Written by Alina Matsa | June 5, 2025

In today’s transport networks, public transport operators (PTOs) and authorities (PTAs) are expected to deliver reliable, passenger-friendly services — while managing costs and meeting strict performance standards. However, performance data is often siloed from planning and scheduling systems. This creates blind spots, delays in decision-making, and challenges in the collaboration between the parties involved.

On top of that, many of these processes are still manual — making them prone to error, difficult to scale, and increasingly inefficient as networks grow more complex.

Precision and Efficiency with Optibus Performance Suite

To address these challenges, the Optibus Performance Suite is designed to optimize service performance across all operational stages—bridging the gap between planning and scheduling to ensure seamless execution and improved reliability

By automating data analysis, reporting, and decision-making, the platform supports faster, more accurate, and scalable network management. It significantly reduces the time spent on manual work — transforming tasks that once took hours or even days into processes completed within minutes. Planners and schedulers can accomplish more in less time, accelerating service improvements without increasing workload.

With an automated workflow, agencies and operators can deliver better passenger services while optimising internal operations.

Optibus users have seen on-time performance (OTP) improvements of up to 17% — demonstrating how data-driven planning leads to more reliable, efficient service for passengers.

Real-World Operational Scenarios

So how does this play out in practice?

This blog explores how the integrated solution supports different PTA/PTO models through three common planning approaches:

  1. Strict PTA-led planning, where the authority creates the timetable and the operator needs to adhere to on-time performance(OTP) rules.
  2. Flexible PTA-led planning, where the authority creates the timetable and the operator makes recommendations.
  3. PTO-led planning, where the operator is responsible for the timetable design.

Use Case #1: Strict PTA-led planning

Understand past performance to make data-driven decisions that improve future operations. 

When the authority sets the timetable and the operator is responsible for adhering to strict on-time performance rules, performance visibility is crucial.

With Mosaiq Insights and Optibus, operators can leverage existing data sets to understand past performance, enabling data-driven decisions that will enhance the future performance of their operation. 

They can monitor their entire network via easy-to-navigate dashboards. These dashboards visualise and compare historical with planned data — helping to identify “what happened and why” and provide actionable insights into on-time performance, route adherence, and network hotspots.

Key impacts:

  • Meet on-time performance KPIs for regulators, the Traffic Commissioner or local authority contracts. 

  • Automate tedious scheduling adjustments, freeing up staff for higher-value work.

  • Balance cost and service quality, avoiding unnecessary increases in peak vehicle requirements (PVR).

  • Identify peak periods and underperforming routes to prioritize high-impact schedule improvements.

Use Case 2:  Flexible PTA -Led Planning

Foster PTO-PTA collaboration with shared, data-led decisionmaking.

In more flexible PTA-led environments, where operators are invited to suggest improvements to the timetable, data becomes a shared language that fosters alignment and collaboration.

By connecting performance data to Optibus’ Planning suite, both parties gain access to one unified platform where they can visualise complex data sets, uncover trends, and collaborate on improvements.

Operators can propose schedule adjustments backed by data, while PTAs can monitor their impact — all in one place.

Key impacts:

  • Provide evidence to support changes to timetables and resource allocation.
  • Monitor the impact of changes, performance, and adjust your timetable without needing to switch platforms or manually compare spreadsheets. 
  • Save significant time on sourcing, analyzing, and validating data — reducing the back-and-forth between PTA and PTO and accelerating agreement on service changes

Use case 3: Operator-Led Planning and Timetable Design

Design timetables to improve reliability and enhance the passenger experience.

When operators are in charge of timetable design, the biggest challenge is closing the gap between planned and actual performance. Inaccurate schedules lead to early departures, late arrivals, and passenger frustration.

Mosaiq Insights provides clear visibility into on-time performance and network trends by analysing and visualising historical data. Combined with Optibus’ Predictive Runtimes — which uses AI to adjust running times based on historical data to help achieve desired on-time performance — this streamlined and fast process enables continuous, data-driven timetable optimization.

This results in improved service reliability, resource efficiency, and passenger satisfaction.

Key impacts:

  • Minimise missed connections and early departures with more accurate timetables.
  • Improved punctuality by enabling faster schedule updates that reflect actual traffic patterns, passenger volumes, and stop-level behaviour.
  • Make trips more punctual by ensuring departures are planned with operational realities in mind — reducing delays and improving overall network reliability
  • Trip Departure Performance - Ensuring scheduled departures align with operational constraints to minimise cascading delays.
  • Reduce the knock-on effect caused by cascading delays (not only trip punctuality, but ensuring that trips leave on time by making information visible in Optibus Scheduling)

The Passenger Impact: Better Service, Higher Ridership

Enhancing transport performance isn’t just about operational efficiency—it directly affects passenger experience and satisfaction. With improved scheduling and on-time performance, you can get:

  • Growing Ridership – Reliable and accurate transport services encourage more people to choose public transport over other modes
  • Customer Retention – Passengers are more likely to continue using a service that meets their expectations for reliability and efficiency
  • Increased Adoption – A seamless, predictable service attracts new riders, leading to long-term growth and sustainability for transport agencies

Conclusion: An Integrated Solution for a Smarter, More Reliable Network

With Optibus and Mosaiq Insights, operators and cities gain an end-to-end solution that turns complex data into clear, actionable decisions. From performance monitoring to timetable optimisation, the entire process is now connected, transparent, and collaborative.

The result? A measurable improvement in on-time performance, increased operational efficiency, and happier passengers.

By visualising performance, enabling predictive planning, and fostering data-driven partnerships, the platform delivers measurable results — from cost savings and reduced penalties to improved passenger satisfaction and trust.

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We’re excited to have Snapper in our Optibus Partners Corner at the UITP Summit in Hamburg! Visit us at Booth #A3434 to explore how this integration can transform your operations. 

Interested in learning more? Click here to request an Optibus demo or to coordinate a meeting with Optibus and Snapper Services at UITP.