EMT Smart Bus Madrid
EMT Smart Bus Madrid was a microtransit service operating within the northern districts of Pilar, Arroyo del Fresno, Mirasierra, Montecarmelo, and Tres Olivos in Madrid, Spain.
Client Context
Located on the northern side of Madrid, the neighborhoods of Pilar, Arroyo del Fresno, Mirasierra, Montecarmelo, and Tres Olivos are among the most dynamic in the city. Everything can be found in these areas, which boast world-class museums and shopping centers typical of most metros, as well as large parks and residential plots typically found in suburban areas. Therefore, transit in the area is wholly important, as it's key to movement within the region and to commuting to downtown Madrid.
With residents relying heavily on personal vehicles to travel within neighborhoods or to reach transit stations serving the greater region, the Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid (EMT) sought to supplement pre-existing transit options with a rideshare service that would meet a wide range of mobility needs.
Project Overview
I was tasked with aiding the transition of EMT Smart Bus Madrid from Via's legacy Tech Stack onto Via's new standard infrastructure. This consisted of supporting the development of an updated consumer mobile app and leading the quality assurance process for the new software.
Unique Factors / Challenges
Unique factors of this project were the following:
Operational testing
Vehicle fleet setup
Payment integration
Migration planning
Operational testing was a unique challenge because the project focused on upgrading an existing service. This factor meant that testing processes and timing had to be altered to ensure the live operations weren't impacted.
Vehicle fleet setup was notable because the service utilized two older minibusses instead of the typical vehicles used in Via microtransit deployments. This required alteration of the technical infrastructure, driver training, and support workflows
Payment integration efforts were significant because the program supported unique "season" and "multi-journey" tickets, which were used only in this particular service. Successful integration here required extra technical development and coordination with the EMT organization
Finally, the launch migration planning was notable, as it required extensive In-Person and remote-office resources to be aligned within a short time window on the morning of the migration. Systems were successfully implemented, and workflows were executed, with widespread changes needed to account for the international location. Support and engineering teams globally were involved in this effort.
Achievements & Outcome
A white-label mobile application titled "EMT Smart Bus Madrid"
A needed update to the existing microtransit infrastructure offering northern Madrid residents an additional public transit option for traveling within the region
Service of over 150 rides per day
