Route Masters to build public transport platform for African megacities

UK-based Route Masters has signed up to the national SPRINT business support programme to develop an innovative transport management solution for African cities.

A total of £4.8 million in funding from SPRINT will enable Route Masters to collaborate with the University of Leicester on building a full suite of technology tools and algorithmic data models.

SPRINT launched its 2020 Open Competition to provide funded opportunities for small businesses to work with English universities on space-enabled product or service development projects.

Route Masters is now developing an algorithm based on single-band Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning within cities.

The solution will deliver transport flow models superimposed on satellite-based city maps. 

The technology uses applied mathematics to build digital route maps that will accurately deliver journey times and modes for city planning tools and mobile navigation applications for consumers.

It will be first tested and deployed as an active prototype in Lagos, Nigeria.

The University of Leicester will provide Route Masters with expertise in algorithms and software development for data-driven space projects as well as high-performance computational (HPC) facilities.

Meir Wachs, Route Masters chief executive, said: “We’re a highly ambitious sustainable business with the goal of creating the largest technology-enabled data platform for transport on the African continent.

“The support of SPRINT will enable us to develop our technology in specific areas, working with the Leicester mathematics school to accelerate our development in certain key areas and to build a robust and rigorous solution that can make an actual impact on the world.”

Muyiwa Omopariola, lead transport analyst at the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) also expressed his support for the project, noting: “ I greatly support technology innovation in the transport sector, especially in Lagos and across the emerging world. We look forward to seeing their continued progress.”