Indian tech firm chooses Nottingham to transform bus services

A technology company set up by an Indian entrepreneur says it could transform the way bus companies run their services in major cities.

LiveTheGo, which is based at the Ingenuity Centre at the University of Nottingham Innovation Park, has developed software which enables bus companies to switch from fixed timetables to an on-demand service.

The business is led by Hara Two A, and is about to start talks with two of the UK’s major bus operators about trialling its technology.

LiveTheGo is already established in India, where it has run transport services in Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala state. It already has three technologists working for it in the UK but plans to employ up to 10 people working in marketing and tech.

Hara explained: “I have 13 years’ experience working in passenger transport in India, providing transport services for the employees of businesses, particularly in the Trivandrum Technopark in Kerala, which is where we have trialled this service.

“We think there is huge potential here in the UK because of the challenges bus companies face with scheduled services which are often running up to 70% empty. This is not cost-effective. Our technology connects the bus company directly to the commuter through a smartphone app.”

Hara says the service will work best in large cities where a bus company is either the main operator or the only operator: “This kind of disruptive innovation will enable them to optimise the performance of the service and make it more viable, and it will give passengers a more user-friendly experience,” he said.

LiveTheGo is being supported by the Department for International Trade’s Global Entrepreneur Programme, and Hara chose to base its UK operations in Nottingham because he took an MBA at the University of Nottingham.

He is now part of a growing community of technology-led businesses based inside the Ingenuity Centre, a hub for tech businesses on the University of Nottingham Innovation park (UNIP) which is part of the Jubilee Campus in Lenton.

He says the Ingenuity Centre has proved the perfect environment for his business: “In a conventional working space we might not have anything in common with the businesses around us. Here, we are alongside people who have big visions and an entrepreneurial outlook.

“Most of the companies here are start-up or early stage companies and run by entrepreneurs who have similar experiences but different skills. We’ve also benefited from the fact that a lot of people from industry come here and form being so close to departments at the University who have knowledge they can share.”

The £5.2m Ingenuity Centre provides a home for technology ideas with commercial potential, whether they have been developed by entrepreneurial students, University research projects or early-stage businesses looking to grow in an enterprising location.

Tenants have been attracted by prestige, purpose-designed facilities which put them alongside other tech firms they can share insights and experiences with. The building is also home to the University’s dedicated centre for the development of entrepreneurial skills, the Haydn Green Institute.

Dr Mark Tock, operations director at UNIP, added: “LiveTheGo is a fascinating business pursuing an idea that has the potential to transform the way we use transport. Hara has a genuinely entrepreneurial outlook and there’s no question that his business benefits from being in an environment that was specifically designed to foster shared experiences as early-stage businesses pursue growth.

“It’s also encouraging to see someone who has a personal connection with the University of Nottingham choose to base a business here. That is a great tribute to the quality of our business courses and the range of enterprise-related services that we provide.”