City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: January 27, 2026
Agenda Item: 4.C
1 of 4
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anuj Gupta, Director of Transportation, Department of Transportation, Finance & Administrative Services
Subject: Approval of Third Modification of Contract with Swiftly, Ltd. for Real Time Bus Arrival Predictions
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant environmental effects pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a third modification to agreement #11000 in the amount of $718,751, with Swiftly Ltd., for a cloudhosted Software as a Service (SaaS) solution for customer-focused real-time schedule information and service performance metrics for staff for the Department of Transportation. This will result in an eight-year amended agreement with a new total amount not to exceed $2,403,205, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
Big Blue Bus (BBB), a division of the Santa Monica Department of Transportation (DOT), operates 195 transit buses across 69 square miles of greater Los Angeles providing an average of 820,000 rides each month. Most BBB riders depend on the real-time bus arrival predictions available on smartphone apps including Transit, Google, and others, using automated phone and text responses to queries about bus arrival times, and on BBB’s website and electronic signs at bus stops.
Swiftly provides the Software as a Service (SaaS) that generates accurate real-time bus location and arrival information upon which customers and third parties depend. Swiftly also provides BBB staff in the Operations, Planning, and Customer Service divisions 2 of 4
with real-time system performance data. This data, consisting of performance metrics, dashboards, and interactive maps, allows staff to diagnose schedule and route running time issues to improve overall service quality and customer experience.
Discussion
On February 25, 2020, the City Council approved a contract award to Swiftly as the result of formal Request for Proposals (RFP) #250, and, in 2022, approved a first modification to add additional modules and extend the contract through June 30, 2025, resulting in a five-year contract.
In February 2025, the Council approved a second modification to extend service on all modules through June 30, 2026, to allow staff time to complete a competitive procurement process for a new system. Staff anticipated the procurement of a new realtime analytics system could be done after the new Clever Devices Computer-Aided Dispatch Automated Vehicle Locator (CAD-AVL) implementation was complete, given the need for integration between the CAD-AVL system and Swiftly. Staffing constraints also prevented two new systems from being procured and implemented concurrently.
With the CAD-AVL system now installed, DOT and Information Services Department (ISD) staff are working on several other major technology procurements for BBB, Mobility, and Parking, including parking operations software and a new vehicle and operator scheduling system for BBB. Although staff anticipates that an RFP for real-time bus arrival information and system performance data could be published this fiscal year once these other procurements are complete, proposal review, award, contracting, and system implementation will take additional months to conclude. Staff is therefore requesting an extension of the contract with Swiftly to ensure BBB’s existing real-time information system operates without interruption for the duration of the procurement and implementation process.
Specifically, staff requests Council authorization for a third modification to the Swiftly contract #11000, extending Software as a Service for one year through FY2026-27 with one additional option year through FY2027-28, to be exercised only if needed. The cost of all modules covered by agreement #11000, including real-time predictions, service adjustments, and rider alerts for passengers as well as a dashboard for staff including GPS playback, on-time performance, headways, run-times, speed map, and live operations, for one year plus one option year, is $718,751 if the option is exercised. 3 of 4
Environmental Review
The contract modification is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The modification will provide the City with software and hardware for modules required to operate a public transportation system and provide information to customers to help them plan trips. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the proposed modification would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
02/25/2020 Award Contract with Swiftly, Inc. for Real-Time Bus Arrival Information and Business Analytics Software
02/11/2025 Approval of Second Modification to Agreement with Swiftly, Ltd. for Real Time Bus Arrival Predictions and BBB
Performance Analytics
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the Big Blue Bus Fund to increase the amount of agreement #11000 with Swiftly, Ltd., for maintenance support.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Agreement Modification Request
Agreement
#
Current
Authorized
Amount
FY 2025-26
Modified
Request
Amount
Future Years
Request
Amount
CIP Account #
Total Revised
Agreement
Amount
11000 $1,684,454 $0 $718,751 C6007470.689000 $2,403,205 Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval. 4 of 4
Prepared By: Barbara Andres, Customer Experience and Innovation Administrator
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Award Contract with Swiftly, Inc. for Real-Time Bus Arrival Information and Business Analytics Software (Web Link)
B. Approval of Second Modification to Agreement with Swiftly, Ltd. for Real Time Bus Arrival Predictions and BBB Performance Analytics (Web Link) C. 2020-05-18_Swiftly_Executed
D. Swiftly_1st_Modification_Executed
E. Swiftly_2nd_Modification_executed
F. Oaks_Swiftly_062725
G. LEVINE_Swiftly_062725