Improving Lisbon’s Mobility

Shotl will launch a new mobility platform for passengers with physical disabilities, as part of a pilot project that digitizes and automates existing services in Lisbon.

Last July, Shotl was announced as one of the winners of the Smart Open Lisbon (SOL) Challenge, organized by the local startup incubator Beta-i. The goal of this event was to link global startups with local corporations, both private and public, in order to validate new solutions by using real data in a live environment and working directly with potential customers and partners. 

Shotl’s final assignment was to help Carris (Lisbon’s surface public transport operator) to improve service operations for passengers with reduced mobility by creating an automated dispatching system that would help provide more flexible and efficient mobility to this community. In just a few weeks file, a small fleet of three vehicles will be dispatched through Shotl’s mobility platform. New routing algorithms and an advanced booking interface will help to relieve current dispatchers from manually planning all daily rides.

Carris employs a total of 2.112 staff members and operates 651 buses which in turn carry over 140 Million passengers per year. Some of these vehicles are purposely allocated to provide personalized transportation for passengers with reduced mobility and have served this community throughout Lisbon’s challenging topography for years. Carris' goal is to explore the potential of Shotl’s technology to increase the levels of vehicle occupancy and to enhance passenger communication channels.

Shotl real-time booking systems and route optimization technology will allow passengers in need of more accessible transport to instantly check vehicle availability and to book a ride in a matter of seconds. All of the team here at Shotl are proud to help Carris make a difference to the livelihoods of those who are most in need of better mobility.