The Record - Issue 18: Autumn 2020

165 V I EWPO I NT  PUB L I C S E C TOR Moving on from mass passenger transit THOR S T EN K I E S : D I L AX A focus on passenger comfort will bring people back to public transportation in the post-pandemic world F or years, we have been talking about change. The digital transformation promised to keep our businesses safe in a volatile world. Threatened by global warming, we were forced to rethink our car-centric perception of mobility in cities. And then came Covid-19, the pandemic that has hit the world, our lives and our busi- nesses. But public transport has had to continue providing its services during this time. For me, public transport simply remains the best solution to bring mobility to everyone in urban areas. It is the most sustainable, most effi- cient, most reliable and least dangerous way to get around. We at DILAX like to think of it as the backbone of future mobility. Since we closely collaborate with public trans- port operators and agencies, we know which pri- orities cities set in defining the services they pay for. Previously, it was all about how many people travel how many kilometres by bus, train, tram and sometimes by ferry. To respond to this need, our company has specialised in automated passen- ger counting (APC) solutions for public transport. Our sensor technology delivers precise counting data and answers questions such as how many people board buses at the town hall each day, or how many change trains at the main station. Yet there are some public transport operators who have already chosen a different approach to making money with their services. Instead of maximum load, they are concerned with the best load in terms of passenger comfort. They put the focus on the quality of their services to convert car drivers into bus riders. The local data collected with a DILAX APC system also enables our clients to become truly customer-focused. They are now concentrating on real-time data and how convenient the trip was for their passengers. Making these aspects a top priority is a mindset and an investment. In the end, it’s not about achieving the maximum load, but promising a seat to everyone. We at DILAX have learned a lot from our cus- tomers about planning and scheduling a trans- port network, and how to efficiently manage and maintain fleets. We knowwhere to count and who is counting on us. Passenger comfort is becoming a key performance indicator in public transport, and we can provide the data to improve passenger comfort in your city. This data helps our clients to get a better under- standing of their own customers and to develop concepts fit for the future. Supported by our BI software DILAX Citisense, traffic planners and strategists can even simulate new routes and stops and generate predictions on future demand. Together with our clients, we work on making mobility in urban areas more successful – no matter when or where we are going. Thorsten Kies is CEO of DILAX “In the end, it’s not about achieving the maximum load, but promising a seat to everyone”