Introducing New Brunswick Startup: ReadyPass
With Propel ICT’s Demo Day coming up on June 21 in Halifax, we’re chatting with all of the New Brunswick companies who will be pitching at the Neptune Theatre.
Today we meet Alex Kall, CEO of Fredericton-based ReadyPass.
1) What’s your pitch?
ReadyPass is the smart bus upgrade every transit agency deserves. We add real-time tracking, routing, electronic tickets and data analysis to make not just the buses, but the whole city run more smoothly.
We’ve combined purpose-designed hardware with advances in wireless payment technology to be able to easily scale to transit fleets of any size. We offer best-in-class ease of hardware installation, maintenance and replacement, making smart bus technology accessible everywhere—even in smaller communities like Fredericton.
2) What’s your story?
We’re a small team from a small town, working to make public transit better for everyone. Last summer, our co-founders/developers Amy Colford and Taeler Dixon saw firsthand how much Fredericton Transit could benefit from real-time information and cashless ticketing. As they studied the types of solutions that were available in other cities, they found a number of ways they could build something better. Prototypes in hand, they shared their progress with the City of Fredericton, who also saw the impact their work could have and agreed to help them develop it.
I joined the team through UNB’s Activator program, and led teams of engineering and business students to help Amy and Taeler develop the business model. After completing Activator and the Propel ICT accelerator, we’re now getting ready to launch our first public trials here in Fredericton.
3) What’s next for you?
We’re currently beta testing our mobile tracking apps, and continuously working to improve our hardware. Over the next few months, we’ll be preparing to expand both our team and our service, to help more communities like Fredericton benefit from smart transit.