February 27, 2023 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) - Blaise Transit (“Blaise”) is excited to announce their latest executive hire, Sophie Le Blanc, as Blaise’s new Head of Business Development. This new appointment to Blaise’s leadership team follows their recent announcement that the province of Nova Scotia has procured Blaise’s platform to deploy on-demand transit in 23 of their cities.
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Sophie joins Blaise after nearly 6 years at Transit, the leading public transit app in North America with millions of active users in more than 300 cities. As Business Development Lead at Transit, Sophie helped commercialize the app through innovative, rider-focused partnerships with transit agencies and technology providers. Today, Transit is the official trip planning app of over 100 transit agencies, including Los Angeles’ Metro, Calgary Transit, and Columbus’ COTA.
Sophie was also recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA), where she contributes to the strategic direction of the association, and to thoughts on key topics impacting the Canadian transit industry. Prior to joining Transit, Sophie worked for Transport Canada, as well as Quebec’s Ministry of Transportation, providing her with public sector transit experience. She also holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from McGill University in Montreal.
Starting this week, she will assume leadership of Blaise’s business development, channel partnerships and growth functions, and manage their sales team.
Speaking from her own experience, “Growing up in a rural community, on-demand transit would have quite literally changed my life. It would have improved my access to jobs, friends, family, hobbies, and other things that were not in my reach without a car.” She continues, “I joined Blaise because their single-platform approach is key for cities to rapidly deploy and manage flexible transit systems at a lower cost. I’m excited to help the smart and passionate team at Blaise fulfill their mission of providing sustainable, accessible on-demand transportation for all.”
“Blaise is at an inflection point – we have proven ourselves as a leader in the on-demand transit technology space,” says Justin Hunt, Blaise’s CEO. “Sophie brings the experience that we need to scale Blaise into thousands of cities worldwide, and recognizes the value in a universal, one-app approach to replace costly, custom white-label apps. We’re ecstatic to have her on board.”
Blaise Transit is a turnkey software platform that enables transport organizations to run demand-responsive transit networks. Powered by patent-pending AI routing algorithms, we empower our partner cities and transit authorities to run more cost-efficient services, while offering a better experience to riders and expanding accessibility. Founded in 2018 in Montreal, Canada, Blaise is today used by dozens of municipalities across North America for on-demand, paratransit, fixed, and flex transit, and is accessed by customers through well as a single, universal user-facing app. Blaise is also backed by world-class investors such as Anges Québec, Techstars, the Capital Angel Network, and the Gouvernement du Québec, through the Impulsion PME program of Investissement Québec.
Sales Inquiries
Sophie Le Blanc, Head of Business Development
Media and Investor Inquiries
Justin Hunt, Chief Executive Officer
We know most transit agencies are constantly striving to enhance their rider’s experience. However, amidst the excitement of offering new technology to passengers the crucial aspect of communication often gets overlooked. On-demand transit represents a paradigm shift in traditional transit models, with its tech-driven approach requiring active participation from riders. Yet, many riders may be unfamiliar with this concept, especially if it's the first time it's being introduced in their community. The introduction of new technology adds another layer of complexity, necessitating effective change management.
Earlier this year, Blaise Transit began a new partnership with the Klamath Tribes in Southwestern Oregon. This collaboration marked a significant milestone in providing innovative, on-demand transit solutions to the Chiloquin and Klamath Falls regions, further underscoring the critical need for accessible and efficient transportation in the 574 tribal communities across the United States.
The Government of New Brunswick along with Urban/Rural Rides announced that it will be rolling out on-demand transit software with Blaise, making it easier to book transit trips across the province.
