Transforming Transport for a Global Audience

In summer 2022, the West Midlands played host to the Commonwealth Games—one of England’s largest ever sporting events. Over 4,800 athletes from 72 nations competed across 283 events. But the challenge went far beyond the stadium. Organisers had a bold goal: to deliver a seamless, accessible, and sustainable transport experience for athletes, volunteers, residents, and over a million fans—all while laying down a long-term legacy for the region.

Ito’s Role: Building the Backbone of Mobility

Ito was selected to lead the end-to-end delivery of the public transport data infrastructure. Our brief was clear: make mobility simple, reliable, and visible—across all modes and all platforms.
We aggregated, cleansed, and unified data from more than 20 transport providers—from buses and trams to bikes and e-scooters—creating a single source of truth distributed across:

icon

Transport apps and websites

icon

Real-time signage (1,700+ units)

icon

Third-party tools

(Google, Apple, Citymapper)
icon

Control centre dashboards

icon

Developer API portals

Smart, Scalable Solutions Built for Pressure

Ito deployed a suite of advanced data tools, workflows, and integrations:

icon

Multi-source integration

Unified GTFS, GBFS, real-time and custom feeds into a centralised platform.

icon

Multilingual alerts & accessibility

Enhanced usability for global audiences and diverse needs.

icon

Stable identifiers

Ensured performance consistency across frequent updates.

icon

Model filtering

Adapted outputs to match signage, apps, and APIs.

icon

Prediction engine

Filled gaps in live data with reliable time forecasts.

icon

Local support teams

Worked hands-on with city stakeholders to troubleshoot and optimise.

icon

Fitness-based allocation

Improved accuracy of real-time vehicle mapping.

icon

Agile workflows

Delivered rapid fixes and updates during Games-time operations.

Impact That Goes Beyond the Games

The solution successfully delivered a world-class passenger information experience throughout the Commonwealth Games, handling extremely high levels of usage and maintaining strong data quality standards across all platforms.

1.5 million

Passengers used public transport across the Games period

icon

All-time high ridership across bus, tram, train, bike, and e-bike modes

£1.2 billion

Economic contribution supported by efficient transit

Low private vehicle use, helping meet environmental sustainability targets

#2 ranked

UK city

For public transport accessibility (after Lond

The system didn’t just meet expectations—it exceeded them, setting a new benchmark for data-driven transport management at scale.

A Lasting Legacy for Birmingham and Beyond

The infrastructure built for the Games didn’t disappear once the medals were awarded. Much of it remains in place today, supporting everyday mobility in the West Midlands.

Ito’s commitment to open standards, high-quality data, and collaborative operations has helped position Birmingham as a global leader in smart mobility—proving that the right partnerships can deliver benefits far beyond a single event.