Yet another startup takes a crack at improving bus rides

Citymapper, a U.K.-based startup whose app helps users navigate various transportation modes, is debuting a "smart bus" pilot test in London on Tuesday and Wednesday, the company said in a blog post. The startup has purchased a small bus and outfitted it with display screens, custom software, and even USB charging ports for smartphones, and will be a suggested option when it fits into a user's route.

Better busses: Startups have been trying to "rethink" busses for years, some much more successfully than others. Chariot, a Bay Area crowdsourced shuttle bus service, was purchased by Ford last year, for example. Meanwhile, luxury bus line operator Leap Transit was forced to close shop for operating without a permit.