Amos Haggiag is the CEO and co-founder of Optibus, a cutting-edge software platform that powers complex public transportation operations in more than 2,000 cities worldwide. Before co-founding Optibus in 2014, Amos led the development of large-scale personalization engines as a senior software development engineer at Microsoft and designed machine learning algorithms at Siemens. He is the recipient of several prestigious math and technology awards, including the Intel Prize (for software engineering), the Elkin Prize (for information technology) and the Wolf Prize (for mathematics).
Sessions
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June 06: Building sustainable and equitable transportation choices across the globe
Building Kampala’s first public bus network
Kampala’s lack of formal public transport means people travel using informal mobility (motorbike taxis, mini-buses) that lack set routes or schedules. Pick-up and drop-off points shift sporadically, riders face long, unpredictable wait times in extreme weather, fares fluctuate as much as 100%, and road safety is compromised. To create a more liveable city, Kampala is planning the city’s (and country’s) first public bus system. The 3,000 bus fleet will be 100% electric by 2032 and create over 12,000 jobs. It will transform Kampala’s economy and urban spaces by decreasing congestion, emissions, and road incidents and connecting more people to work, education, social services, and more. This project dovetails with efforts to formalize informal transport and involves diverse stakeholders (public, transport, and tech sectors). It can be a model for other cities network planning from scratch.
