ITS workshop: Provision of EU-Wide Multimodal Travel Information Services

Workshop linked to the Directive 2010/40/EU ("ITS Directive")

"Provision of EU-Wide Multimodal Travel Information Services"

4 November 2015 – 10:00–17:00

Centre Albert Borschette, Room 1A

1040 Brussels

Accurate, complete and comprehensive multimodal travel information services empower users to make well-informed decisions based on their individual travel needs both before and during their journeys. They have the potential to contribute to modal shift and increasing the use of sustainable modes of transport and therefore help support reducing congestion, and improve the overall management of Europe's transport network.

Due to advances in data-collection technology and efficiency improvements in the way how data can be processed and distributed to users, a proliferation of multimodal travel information services is currently taking place throughout the EU. There is, however, a growing concern that not all relevant data and services are properly interoperable and easily accessible. Moreover, there are also concerns that there is an overall lack of consistent service and data quality along with divergent rules for the re-use of travel data. Such risks can increase with the growth in the number of actors that are active in the multimodal travel information service chain.

The ITS Directive foresees that specifications will be adopted by the European Commission to make EU-wide multimodal travel information services accurate and available to users across borders. These specifications will be binding and will need to aim at ensuring compatible and interoperable developments, where possible based on existing standards and technology. The initiative will contribute to EU-wide continuity and harmonized delivery of multimodal travel information services.

Currently, the European Commission is conducting a study led by TRL, TTR and Arup in support of the development of specifications on the Provision of EU-Wide Multimodal Travel Information Services (Priority action "a" of the ITS Directive).

The objective of the workshop jointly organised between the European Commission and TRL, TTR and Arup was to inform interested stakeholders and gather their opinions on the key issues and possible options for the development of the specifications.

Key topics discussed during the workshop included:

• Technological developments and market trends
• Improving interoperability of travel data and services
• Potential of data sharing mechanisms to improve access to data
• The challenges related to measuring, monitoring and managing data and service quality
• Potential for common quality framework
• Provisions for the re-use of travel data
• The potential role for harmonization and regulation

Findings and key issues were discussed with participating stakeholders from the whole value chain through three thematic panel sessions.

Agenda

Presentations