03 May 2024

Ever wondered how Transport for Wales (TfW) is constantly working to improve the way we operate?

Look no further than the TfW Cinetig Hackathon; where the event brought together a diverse group of individuals to tackle real-world challenges faced by our organisation.

What is a Hackathon?

Imagine a vibrant space buzzing with creativity, expertise, and passion. It’s a collaborative event where people come together for a short period to solve specific problems.

Our Cinetig hackathon aimed to tap into the collective knowledge and experience of our colleagues, partners, and future leaders. We welcomed participants from across TfW, industry partners like Amey and Arup, and even enthusiastic students from Cardiff and Swansea Universities.

Over two exciting days, teams tackled challenges centred on increasing revenue, reducing cost, enhancing our customer experience and modal shift. This collaborative environment fostered innovative thinking and teamwork.

We caught up with Barry Lloyd (Head of Innovation and New Product Development) alongside Micheal Davies (Insight and Innovation Manager) who ran the event on behalf of TfW to discuss the importance of the hackathon:

Barry Lloyd said: “We want to create a culture of innovation at TfW where people feel empowered to share their ideas and think outside the box. The hackathon challenged participants to approach problems differently using design thinking techniques which led to a wealth of fresh ideas.

The hackathon focused on real business challenges, with a strong emphasis on improving our customer experience. We here at TfW play a pivotal part in supporting the Welsh Government's modal shift plan, aiming for net carbon reduction by 2050; the hackathon directly contributed to that goal.”

Micheal Davies said: “All teams came up with really good ideas which will help enhance what we do. Team Tango were successful and we’re now working with industry partners to bring the idea of providing safe storage for customers’ luggage to life.”

He went on to highlight the valuable contributions of the student participants:

“A big shoutout to the university students from both Cardiff and Swansea University who helped the teams think differently and brought a different skill set. It was great to work alongside our communities and future leaders tackling real business challenges”

As we work to implement the innovative hackathon’s opportunities and solutions. We’ll aim to update you on developments and notify you when the ideas are put into practice.

If you have a suggestion which can help identify and capitalise on emerging opportunities please submit your suggestion here: Challenge 100 | Lab by Transport for Wales (tfwlab.wales)