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Swiftly's Unified Data Platform

Swiftly provides a unified data platform that delivers real-time passenger predictions, fleet monitoring, and alerts to improve transit efficiency.

Understanding Ghost and Zombie Buses

Ghost and zombie buses cause major frustration for riders and transit agencies alike. These are buses that either do not show up as expected or appear unexpectedly, disrupting the rider experience.

Definitions

Ghost bus: A bus that a rider expects but never arrives. The app may show it arriving shortly, but it disappears at the last moment, leaving riders stranded.
Zombie bus: A bus that arrives unexpectedly. The app shows the next bus far away, but one arrives much sooner, confusing riders.

Impact on Riders and Transit Trust

These issues break the essential promise of public transit: reliable, real-time information. When that trust is lost, riders become frustrated and lose confidence in the system.

“Ghost and zombie buses are nightmares for transit agencies and their riders. Few things are more frustrating than waiting for a bus that never comes or being surprised by one that wasn’t supposed to.”

Searching #GhostedByTheBus on social media reveals many riders’ stories about these unpredictable bus behaviors.

Swiftly’s Solution

Swiftly develops tools that help transit agencies eliminate ghost and zombie buses, ensuring real-time transit data remains accurate and dependable, even during irregular situations.

The result is fewer stranded riders and a more trustworthy public transit experience.

“The app shows a bus arriving in 5 minutes, but as the countdown hits zero, the bus disappears and fails to show up, leaving riders stranded and uncertain.”

Both ghost and zombie buses reduce confidence in real-time data, making transit feel unreliable and unpredictable.

Author’s Summary

Swiftly tackles ghost and zombie bus issues by providing real-time data tools that restore rider trust and improve public transit reliability.

Bus-News — 2025-10-31