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New pilot measuring how the passengers perceive crowding on buses

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Crowded buses and trains is nothing new. But the Corona virus has turned crowded environments into a hot topic. As a result, Drive Sweden project Welcome on board has launched a pilot in which the passengers can report how they perceive the crowding while traveling with Karlstadsbuss.

“We are making it easy for our passengers to give us feedback. We have posted QR codes in our express buses through which they in a simple and quick way can scan and report their experiences, completely anonymous”, says Elin Åberg CRM project manager at Karlstadsbuss.

The app used for the data collection lets the passengers to tell the operator how they perceive their own safety in regard to crowding by using a barometer and messaging function. The reporting is designed to include information on how external factors such as crowding at bus stops, platforms or boarding is also affecting the passengers. This solution can be used as a valuable complement to existing APC (automatic passenger counting) data and enables proactive actions in cases of crowding.

The data is, via an encrypted channel from the users’ smart phones, being collected in a cloud-based platform developed by tech company Veridict. The result gives Karlstadsbuss a comprehensive picture of how the passengers perceive the crowding in real-time at different locations.

”The app can be used with regard to other collected data and enables the operators to create a dynamic dialogue with their passengers and to contribute to a safer environment in these special times”, says Daniella Matts, communications manager at Veridict.

This pilot is one of several in the Welcome on board project. The main purpose of the project is to promote crowdsourcing for the public transport of the future and combined mobility, since active passenger participation is essential for public transport to keep its competitiveness and for the integration of complementing mobility services. The project is coordinated by Veridict and they are working together with Keolis, RISE, Skånetrafiken, Swedish Transport Administration and Region Värmland.

Read more at the project's website