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TfL’s former Head of Buses and Surface Transport joins Optibus

Posted: 23 August 2018 | | No comments yet

Optibus have recruited Leon Daniels to assist in the development of optimisation algorithms and artificial intelligence within the transport industry.

Leon Daniels

Leon Daniels

Leon Daniels, the former Head of Buses and Surface Transport at Transport for London (TfL), has joined Optibus as an investor and advisor.

During his seven year tenure as Managing Director of Surface Transport, Daniels was responsible for keeping London running successfully during the 2012 Olympics, with the responsibility of delivering Britain’s most ambitious cycle lane deployment and introducing the capital’s cycle hire scheme.

His role also included the regulation of the taxi and private hire trade, a task which sparked hostility from London’s black cab drivers, who claimed TfL exposed them to “unfair” competition from Uber and other minicab operators.

Optibus commented on Daniels’ understanding of “the complex inner and outer workings of city-wide mobility” and how such knowledge will aid their work in developing and deploying advanced optimisation algorithms and artificial intelligence to help save transit operators money and improve on-time performance.

Leon Daniels will be speaking at Intelligent Transport Conference on 1 November 2018 as part of the ‘Intelligent Transport Today’ panel, which also includes Shane Hymers from TfL, Carlos Gonzalez from Google UK and Brian Masson from Multi Modal Transport Solutions Ltd.

“We are delighted to welcome Leon to the team to further develop our vision for the future of mass transportation,” said Amos Haggiag, CEO and co-Founder of Optibus. “As we tackle the complex issue of mass transit, and disrupt the industry city-by-city, we value Leon’s insight and know he will lead us through this exciting chapter.”

Daniels said: “I have always been excited about what the future holds for transportation and what the market disrupters will deliver. Mainstream public transport faces the increasing demand of delivering faster response times, meeting shorter deadlines and delivering an economic return on investment.

“I am delighted to join Optibus who is giving exceptional new capabilities to transport operators that will enable them to become more agile and deliver significant efficiencies. Optibus represents a significant step forward and I am thrilled to join such a talented team at the forefront of the industry.”

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