Connect Bus
Powering reliable transport operations through a scalable data-driven platform
80%
operational coverage increase
1,500%
ROI in 4 weeks
24/7
real-time fleet fuel visibility
ABOUT
Powering reliable transport operations through a scalable data-driven platform
Responsible for a large share of public bus transportation in the wider Oslo region, Connect Bus is supported by more than 5,500 employees and an extensive fleet of 2700+ vehicles.
Public transport in Norway and Sweden operates under strict regional authority requirements. For Connect Bus, this means aligning day-to-day operations with long-term contracts, evolving standards, and public accountability.
At the same time, the company is actively moving toward more sustainable transportation models, including expanding its zero-emission vehicle fleet. As Connect Bus continues to grow across the Nordic region, operational structure and long-term resilience remain central to how the organization works.
ObJECTIVE
Creating an integrated, real-time foundation for depot operations
What started as a single operational need grew into a multi-year collaboration focused on building a strong digital backbone platform for Connect Bus.
The first priority was to create a custom dispatcher journal application that could replace fragmented paper-based workflows and serve as the initial product on a new internal platform. This marked the start of a broader modernization effort.
As the platform matured, the objective expanded to supporting operational reliability, regulatory compliance, and data-driven decision-making across depots and regions. This led to the development of additional products, such as operational health checks and a diesel refueling management system, all designed to work together within the same platform environment.
The overarching goal has been to support Connect Bus in building a flexible, future-ready digital ecosystem that can grow alongside their operations and regulatory requirements.
CHALLENGE
Disconnected data flows in a compliance-driven environment
At the start of our collaboration, Connect Bus faced a growing gap between daily operations and the tools available to support them. Dispatcher workflows were heavily manual, paper-based, and only partially supported by off-the-shelf solutions that covered roughly 20% of actual dispatcher needs. This forced teams to rely on workarounds that slowed down operations and made compliance with Public Transport Authority requirements harder to maintain.
As the organization grew and expanded across regions, these limitations became more visible. New operational areas, such as depot health monitoring and fuel management, introduced additional complexity, while regulatory expectations continued to rise.
Without a unified digital foundation, addressing each challenge separately would have resulted in siloed systems and higher long-term risk. The challenge was to support day-to-day operations while preparing Connect Bus for continuous change.
FROM OUR EXPERT
The challenge was to put ourselves in the shoes of the people working in the depot process and understand their actual needs. Only after we fully understood this could we build the actual solution that resolved the core of their problems.
Petar Kosanović
Project manager
SOLUTION
Building a scalable platform with tailored engineering solutions
After an in-depth discovery phase, we formed a dedicated engineering team to work closely with Connect Bus across multiple initiatives. Rather than delivering isolated tools, the focus was on building a shared platform that could evolve alongside operational, regulatory, and sustainability requirements.
Platform foundation
We started with a custom dispatcher journal application, built to reflect how dispatchers actually work. It replaced paper-based routines and created a single source of truth for operational data.
Data-driven workflows
By using real-time vehicle and depot data, operations gained clearer visibility, faster decisions, and consistent compliance with transport authority requirements.
Operational systems
To improve visibility and control, the platform expanded to include additional products such as vehicle health monitoring and diesel refueling management.
Scalability and compliance
Designed for scale, the platform supports local regulatory requirements while keeping operations consistent across depots, regions, and Nordic markets.
This solution approach supports continuous improvement without disrupting day-to-day operations.
FROM OUR CLIENT
The most impressive thing about Thespian is their dedication, hard work, and ability to gain domain knowledge in a complex business.
CDO, Connect Bus
RESULT
The long-term platform development resulted in a solution that supports both present-day needs and future demands.
Operational stability
Dispatcher and depot processes are now fully supported through digital workflows that reduce manual errors and increase reliability across daily operations.
Compliance and transparency
Integrated reporting and real-time data handling provide clear visibility for internal teams and public transport authorities alike.
Future-ready architecture
By building all solutions on a shared platform, Connect Bus can scale solutions across depots and markets while introducing new operational products as needs evolve.
The result is a resilient digital ecosystem that grows with Connect Bus’s operations and regulatory landscape.
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