EU-SPIRIT

Door-to-door multimodal travel planning

To promote multimodal public transport trips, EU-SPIRIT is providing door-to-door travel information by connecting local and long distance travel information systems in a seamless way for the client.

Key Achievements

• Defined a networking architecture allowing public transport information and reservation systems to communicate without major modifications
• Developed a search algorithm using network-overlaying knowledge
• Created evaluation plan to ensure successful evaluation and credible project results
• Implemented, demonstrated and evaluated the system in six European sites: Scania (Southern Sweden), Copenhagen, Berlin Region, Vienna, Pongau Region (West Austria) and Emilia-Romagna (Northern Italy)

Objectives

• Integrate geographic information system (GIS) data (maps)
• Further integrate additional services such as tourist information and hotel reservations
• Extend the geographical coverage by integrating more operators in Sweden and Germany
• Evaluate the commercial viabilkity
• Start commercial operation from November 2001
• To entice travellers to use public transport, one must first have an easy way to plan their journey — door-to-door. The EU-SPIRIT Project is developing an integrated customer-friendly information system that offers door-to-door multimodal trip solutions as well as value-added information (tourist info, hotel reservations, etc).

EU-SPIRIT has developed an open network architecture allowing most existing public transport information systems to be connected. The EU-SPIRIT travel-planning ring connects different kinds of existing systems, such as regional public transport providers and long distance rail operators. This approach's main advantage is that data accuracy and maintenance remains the owner's responsibility.

Evaluating user satisfaction and operator appraisal is also an important part of this project, as this will help define the future corporate strategy for ensuring rapid implementation of the EU-SPIRIT concept as a practical Europe-wide service for travellers. In addition, special attention is given to identifying and removing legal and commercial obstacles that might hinder the implementation.

Consortium

ERTICO, Alcatel, Siemens, European Commission support through the Information Society Directorate General.

This project concluded at the end of 2001.

Access the resulting traveller information service