Free special need transportation can be booked for private rides to increase utilisation rates. For the booking processes, Fluidtime builds a cloud-based mobility market place. The pilot is scheduled to launch at the beginning of 2018.
Fluidtime, a Kapsch Group company, SITO and the Finnish smart mobility start-up Vinka optimise the use of special needs transportation by creating a shared-last-mile-mobility service. Helsinki Business Hub has been facilitating the cooperation with Finnish partners, and implementing the pilot phase in the capital region cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa. Within the project, Fluidtime is responsible for the data management and the development of the infrastructure, offering the services through a cloud-based market place to the users. “Our goal is to provide access to a comfortable way of mobility that can be seamlessly integrated in residents’ everyday lives in Helsinki. With our platform, we match transport needs of travellers with the as yet unexploited transport offer on-site “, says Michael Kieslinger, CEO of Fluidtime Data Services GmbH. By acting as an interface between the app users, the mobility service provider SITO and the transport service HSL, Fluidtime uses its cloud-based service solution FluidHub for the data management.
Higher capacity leads to cost advantages for end-users and the city
The mobility app allows travellers to book a ride for short distances, for example, to go to work or go home. The expenses for the shared ride are set at a competitive price and have to be paid in the app. Only vehicles nearby, or without a special transport need (eg: the elderly, disabled or sick people) and student transports are displayed in the app at this time. Thus, residents get access to a new, affordable door-to-door service. Furthermore, Helsinki particularly benefits from the innovative service, considering the special needs transportation is subsidised by the city. By creating new demand for transport, empty trips can be decreased and times of lower utilisation bridged, respectively. The transport service operation costs for the city are minimised in this way.
Project starts in 2018
The pilot is scheduled to start in February 2018 and other pilot cities may follow. The project has been initiated by the Helsinki Business Hub, which is driving development ideas for the Helsinki Metropolitan area forward. This is in close cooperation with its owners, such as the main cities of the Helsinki capital region, but also the public transportation company HSL.
Fluidtime is an internationally recognized provider of IT systems in the area of integrated mobility and Mobility as a Service (MaaS). With FluidHub, the company creates an open ecosystem which integrates local and (inter)national mobility services and meets the challenges of Smart Cities & Regions. In cooperation with transport service providers, Fluidtime connects transport needs with the existing transport offers. Transport service providers become more visible and can reach more customers. Moreover, the solution provides an easy opportunity for mobility service providers to supply customers, employees and travellers with new kinds of smart mobility offers. All that creates the preconditions under which travellers can be provided with easily accessible, affordable and sustainable mobility alternatives. The multi-award-winning company with its headquarters in Vienna was founded in 2004. By the investment of Kapsch TrafficCom in 2016, Fluidtime further strengthens its market position.
Kapsch TrafficCom is a provider of intelligent transportation systems in the fields of tolling, traffic management, smart urban mobility, traffic safety and security, and connected vehicles. As a one-stop solutions provider, Kapsch TrafficCom offers end-to-end solutions covering the entire value creation chain of its customers, from components and design to the implementation and operation of systems. The mobility solutions supplied by Kapsch TrafficCom help make road traffic safer and more reliable, efficient, and comfortable in urban areas and on highways alike while helping to reduce pollution.
Contact details:
Stefanie Pichler
Marketing & Communications
Fluidtime Data Services GmbH
Neubaugasse 12-14/25, 1070 Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43 (0)1 5860 180
E-mail: stefanie.pichler@fluidtime.com
Alexandra Vieh
Head of Marketing and PR, Global
Kapsch TrafficCom AG
Am Europlatz 2, 1120 Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43 50811 1728
E-mail: alexandra.vieh@kapsch.net
