
Montreal, July 20, 2022 — Mila, the largest university research institute in deep learning in the world, and BusPas Inc., shaping the future of mobility through connected IoT infrastructure at bus stops, announce the signing of a strategic partnership aimed at utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to develop integrated solutions at bus stops.
Currently, there are significant inequalities in the services provided at different bus stops. Too often, a bus stop consists only of a pole with a sign and a paper schedule. Some bus stops are equipped with shelters because advertising makes them profitable and space allows for it, while others, in rare cases, have costly and limited passenger information systems.
In light of current issues such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion (e.g., ARTM Strategic Plan), BusPas has focused on developing a cost-effective and scalable technological infrastructure to improve the quality of public transport services, particularly in terms of user satisfaction, with the goal of increasing user engagement in public transport. “Through this partnership, Mila and BusPas will collaborate on the development of integrated features within BusPas’s scalable ‘Cloud’ and ‘Edge Computing’ system. The two organizations will notably develop machine learning models capable of detecting system inefficiencies and malicious behaviors, as well as new algorithms that promote sustainable mobility and smart city initiatives,” said Brad Cameron, Chief Operating Officer of BusPas.
For users, this technology, manifested as a display mounted on a bus stop pole, aims to democratize universal access to real-time information from the agency to the passenger and enhance the sense of security at the bus stop, while providing transport agencies with crucial data for planning departments regarding user flows (real-time demand volume, waiting times at stops), along with a multitude of additional environmental and operational information that can support the establishment of a smart city.
Mila will assist BusPas in developing its solution to achieve a new level of intelligence and capability to better serve communities.
“The environment and the fight against climate change are one of the core research pillars of Mila’s mission,” says Stéphane Létourneau, Executive Vice President of Mila. “This partnership with BusPas could potentially enable us to develop AI solutions that improve public transport services and urban mobility, benefiting the population and transport agencies.”
About BusPas
Based in Montreal, BusPas Inc. has created an innovative solution aimed at covering all bus stops in the transportation network. The BusPas offering is the first of its kind and serves as the foundation for a much larger ecosystem of resources and data for public transport and the city. The goal of BusPas is to foster sustainable, close, and positive relationships between mobility users and the stakeholders of the smart city and mobility sector. Founded by public transport software developers, BusPas is a dynamic development company determined to advance today’s mobility and shape that of tomorrow. Through cloud and mobile technologies, BusPas and its partners transform the mobility experience for users and support transit agencies within the context of the smart city.
For more information, visit buspas.com.
About Mila
Founded in 1993 by Professor Yoshua Bengio of the University of Montreal, Mila is a research institute in artificial intelligence that currently brings together nearly 900 researchers specializing in machine learning. Based in Montreal, Mila aims to be a global hub for scientific advancements that inspires innovation and the growth of AI for the benefit of all. Mila is a nonprofit organization recognized worldwide for its significant contributions to the field of deep learning, particularly in language modeling, machine translation, object recognition, and generative models.
Original post on Mila in french.