About Us: Learn More About Our Vision

Our Story: The Problem That Sparked a Movement

Every transportation director knows the math: bus fleets are expensive, routing inefficiencies pile up, and budgets rarely stretch far enough. Faced with a multimillion-dollar budget challenge, Boston Public Schools COO John Hanlon knew business-as-usual wouldn’t cut it. He needed a bold, unconventional solution. So he did something the district had never tried before: he put out a citywide call for help and launched a public hackathon to reimagine school bus routing from the ground up.

That call to action drew in MIT professor and global optimization expert Dimitris Bertsimas, who led a team of graduate students to build algorithms that eliminated 50 buses from the fleet—saving $5 million. Then, the breakthrough sparked something bigger: Hanlon and Bertsimas joined forces with PhD-level data scientists and public sector leaders to launch AlphaRoute, bringing AI-powered routing to school districts and transit systems nationwide.

What We Do

We provide dynamic, end-to-end software, advanced analytics, and sophisticated consulting support to help transportation teams around the world. We work closely with our clients to develop, test, and implement new solutions that meet their needs.

Who We Are

We are a team of PhD-level researchers and former public sector executives working toward one goal: To transform the world of mobility, saving millions of dollars for our clients, improving the lives of their constituents, and helping the environment.

Dynamic software and advanced analytics to drive every aspect of your operations!

Our Values

Everything we build — and every relationship we build — runs through these 10 principles.

Appreciation first

Appreciation first, foremost, always. We care for each other. We celebrate each other.

Leadership Team

Dimitris Bertsimas

Founder

Dimitris is founder of Dynamic Ideas and AlphaRoute; Vice Provost for Open Learning at MIT; Associate Dean of Business Analytics; Boeing Leaders for Global Operations Professor; and faculty director of MIT’s Master of Business Analytics. He loves mentoring students and is energized by turning cutting-edge research into real-world solutions that improve lives.

John Hanlon

CEO and Co-Founder

As former COO of Boston Public Schools, John transformed transportation, technology and cross-department operations. A veteran of public and nonprofit executive teams, John holds an MBA from Duke University.

Mohammad Ghane

Co-Founder

Mohammad is a recognized expert in optimization and stochastic systems. He earned his PhD in Operations Research in 2016 and has published extensively in top transportation journals—turning advanced algorithms into smarter, safer routing solutions.

Alex Kapcar

Head of Sales

Alex brings more than a decade of experience in transportation technology to AlphaRoute. He spent that time with one of the industry's leading telematics providers, advancing through roles from field support to Sales Director and helping school districts, transit agencies, and commercial fleets adopt smart telematics solutions. Alex holds a B.S. from Ohio University and is passionate about helping districts run safer, more efficient transportation operations.

Chelsea Alford

Customer Success Manager

Chelsea leads AlphaRoute's customer success team, guiding districts from implementation onward. She joined AlphaRoute as a data analyst, bringing a deep understanding of the algorithms behind every route plan. Chelsea holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and a Master of Quantitative Management in Business Analytics from Duke University, and loves helping districts get the most out of their data.

Partners

We partner with the best vendors to build a transportation system that works exactly the way you need it to.

Learn about our Partners

Press & Awards

Our work has been featured in the press and nominated for research awards.

VIEW PRESS & AWARDS

Our Privacy Policy

At AlphaRoute, we’re dedicated to safeguarding your data. Take a moment to review our Privacy Statement and learn how we protect and respect your information.

READ OUR PRIVACY STATEMENT