Leon Daniels, the former head of buses and surface transport at TfL, has joined transit solutions provider Optibus as an investor and advisor.
During his seven year tenure as Managing Director of Surface Transport, Daniels was responsible for keeping London running during the 2012 Olympics and had responsibility for delivering Britain’s most ambitious cycle lane roll-out and the introduction of the capital’s cycle hire scheme.
His role also included regulation of the taxi and private hire trade, a task which saw him draw the ire of London’s black cab trade which claimed TfL exposed it to “unfair” competition from Uber and other large minicab operators.
Optibus says Daniels’ understanding of “the complex inner and outer workings of city-wide mobility” will aid its work to develop and deploy advanced optimisation algorithms and AI which can help save transit operators money and improve on-time performance.
“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.”
