Biz Briefs covers the latest supplier news in the motorcoach and public transit industries.

In METRO's latest installment, we take a look at the latest news from suppliers including Intersection, HDR, and more.

Intersection, CobbLinc Announce Partnership

Intersection, an experience-driven out-of-home media and technology company, has been awarded an exclusive three-year contract to sell advertising for Cobb County, Georgia, on its CobbLinc bus fleet and bus shelters. 

The contract commenced on August 1 and includes two one-year options for a total of up to five years.

With the acquisition of the CobbLinc contract, Intersection expands and deepens its position in the Atlanta media market — already operating as the exclusive bus, rail, and station advertising provider for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. 

CobbLinc is the public bus transit system in Cobb County. This acquisition broadens Intersection coverage in Greater Atlanta, building continuity between suburban and urban audiences, as well as with commuters across the region, said company officials.

Optibus Expands GenAI Capabilities 

Optibus has introduced new capabilities to Optibus AI, the first Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) suite purpose-built for public and private operators and agencies. 

Preference Designer for Scheduling is the industry’s first Generative AI agent that uses natural language to create complex scheduling rules. 

Building valid, optimized schedules that comply with complex business rules and union agreements has traditionally required configuration expertise and custom coding. 

Now, schedulers type preferences in plain language, such as “No more than ten duties over nine hours,” and Optibus instantly generates accurate, ready-to-use logic—no more specialized coding, configuration, or steep learning curves. 

Integrated with Optibus’ optimization engine and trained on real-world scheduling data, Preference Designer reduces errors and rule configuration time by up to 70%, the company said. It also improves work quality with less effort, helps quickly onboard new users, and eliminates tedious, repetitive tasks. Planners and schedulers can easily build and test complex rosters while meeting compliance requirements.

HDR to Design Mississauga’s Lakeshore BRT Project

HDR, in partnership with GEI Consultants, has been selected by the Canadian City of Mississauga to lead the detailed design and contract administration for the Lakeshore bus rapid transit (BRT) project. 

The Lakeshore BRT corridor stretches approximately 1.25 miles along Lakeshore Road from East Avenue to Etobicoke Creek in Mississauga, Ontario, an area with considerable planned growth. 

The Lakeshore BRT is a transformative investment in Mississauga’s mobility future, creating a vibrant, multimodal corridor that enhances connectivity, supports sustainable growth, and strengthens access to the waterfront for all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and motorists.

The design will transform the corridor into a complete street, featuring a widened roadway, dedicated center-running bus lanes, and accessible, weather-protected stations. On both sides of the road, new cycle tracks and sidewalks will invite people to move safely and comfortably through the corridor. Beneath the surface, utilities will be strategically engineered to support future development to enable this bold transformation of Mississauga’s waterfront.

According to the company, the HDR team begins the project with a strong understanding of the Lakeshore corridor, gained through its previous work, including environmental assessments and conceptual designs for a BRT on the corridor, as well as the development of a transportation master plan for the project area.

Via Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering

Via Transportation Inc. announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 10,714,285 shares of its Class A common stock at a public offering price of $46 per share. 

Via is offering 7,142,857 shares of Class A common stock, and the selling stockholders are offering 3,571,428 shares of Class A common stock. 

In addition, Via has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,607,142 shares of Class A common stock at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. 

The shares of Class A common stock are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on September 12, under the ticker symbol “VIA.”