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Transit agencies don’t need more dashboards. They need trusted, integrated decisions.

Photograph of Darren Plested
Darren Plested

EY Canada Executive Strategic Advisor, Transportation & Mobility

Contributors

5 minute read 01 Oct 2026
Related topics
Transportation
Government & Public Sector

The future of transit isn't about collecting more data. It's about connecting information and turning insight into action.

In brief

  • Transit agencies often have an abundance of data, but limited visibility across disconnected systems, applications, and operations.
  • Connected data can help leaders make faster, more confident decisions that improve reliability and rider experience.
  • Breaking down operational silos creates the foundation for smarter, safer and more responsive transit networks.

I love a good dashboard. But I love a connected view even more.

This was my thought throughout June and July, watching crowds move through major Canadian cities and test our country’s transit readiness.

How EY can help

Like most industries and organizations, Canadian transit agencies have vast amounts of data. But despite that wealth of information, many lack the trusted and connected information demanded to support fast and confident operational decision-making. The answer isn’t more dashboards: it’s the ability to link decades of siloed applications, operational systems and data sources. With that comes interoperability and a better way to turn information into motion.
 

That’s exactly what transit needs.
 

The World Cup provided Toronto and Vancouver with invaluable data. Numbers. Patterns. Trends. As thousands descended on our cities, their willingness to trust the transit system provided endless insights. To truly learn from this experience and carry momentum forward, we need to integrate that information and turn data into action Canada-wide. The question is: how?
 

Disconnected data limits operational visibility and decision-making. AI and emerging technologies empower transit — and stakeholders across the public and private sectors — to turn that reality on its head. Using new tools, we can spot and reconcile fragmentation, join up systems and use data differently. This ability can mark the distinction between celebrating a successful transportation story during a major event and making it the foundation for better transit in the long run.
 

For example, EY’s Application Transformation and Operate (ATO) capability quickly maps entire technology ecosystems. Used in the transit context, it can assess and map interdependencies between just about anything: rail operations and control systems, signalling everything from train control platforms, bus operations and fare systems to enterprise asset management and customer experience assessments.
 

We can use the tool to analyze those factors as a connected whole — exposing hidden risks or technological deficits and suggesting immediate changes. And we can do it in a fraction of the time it would take outdated platforms.

Our FlexiGenAI solution takes huge amounts of data generated across the enterprise-wide ecosystem, acting as an intelligent enterprise layer. FlexiGenAI connects disparate data sources, translates natural language questions into actionable insights and allows entire agencies to use predictive analytics in real-time operational decisions. You can go further using agentic AI to automate many of these complex processes.

Essentially: EY ATO tells us what systems an organization has and how they fit together. FlexiGenAI helps the agency use that information, and the underlying operational data, in a more intelligent way. If EY ATO is the pipes, then FlexiGenAI keeps water flowing through them.

This isn’t something for down the road. It’s ready now. By bringing transit data together in a clear, connected, cohesive view, tools like these can help modernize operations and strengthen transit safety, reliability, efficiency and the rider experience. It can also underpin the macro-level benefits that modern transit systems represent — from productivity and economic investment to citizen quality of life. Good, connected data then becomes the foundation for other technical and AI advances over time.

With every image of exuberant fans that flooded my feed this summer, I felt a sense of mounting possibility I know can extend well beyond Canada’s World Cup moment. A single operational view across vehicles, schedules, maintenance, incidents, riders and experience can build even more confidence in the system. With that capability, we can focus on improving customer experience, comfort and convenience. That’s how we move beyond major events and foster transit efficiency and effectiveness for the everyday tasks that define life in Canada.

Like I said, I’ll always love a good dashboard. But what really excites me is our growing ability to take down operational silos and transform a connected view into more responsive, accountable and smart systems. Transit reliability, safety, efficiency and experience — and citizen quality of life — stand to gain.

Summary

Transit modernization is not a data challenge. It is a connectivity challenge. Agencies that can link systems, applications and operational information into a trusted, enterprise-wide view will be better positioned to improve reliability, safety and customer experience. As AI capabilities continue to advance, connected data becomes more than a technical asset. It becomes the foundation for faster decisions, stronger performance and a transit system that earns greater confidence from the people who rely on it every day.

About this article

Photograph of Darren Plested
Darren Plested
EY Canada Executive Strategic Advisor, Transportation & Mobility
Transportation and mobility advisor helping public and private sector organizations improve network performance, strengthen supply chains and deliver practical transformation.

Contributors

Related topics
Transportation
Government & Public Sector

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