Overview
Several Mobility and/or Traffic Management/Service Centres (collectively referred to here as MobiService Centres or MSCs) have been established in Europe in recent years, mainly as part of the large scale demonstration projects supported by the transport telematics sector of the EU's Framework 4 RTD Programme or through national initiatives.
They aim to collect information about conditions on transport networks, and to provide traffic and travel advice. However, the centres provide a wide range of different services and vary considerably from one to another. Some offer only local information, while others provide regional or even long-distance travel information. Some are information points in a city and expect enquiries from visitors. Others are connected with a traffic or public transport control facility and disseminate information via telephone, kiosks or the Internet. Some effectively collate the information from various databases, while others use a central database. Some provide multi- and/or inter-modal transport information, while others offer only mono-modal traffic information.
The project involves partners who are amongst the leaders in the development and provision of MobiService Centres in Europe.
The main objectives of the proposed MobiService Centres project were to analyse the multi-modal systems and services provided by the leading Mobility Management and Service Centres in Europe and to identify requirements for improving the services provided by them in order to achieve a standardisation at a high level. The results would show which facilities, systems and services, and which technologies, applications and methods, should be adopted to provide such a high level standardisation and what are the implications for organisation, skills, benefits and costs.
The second main aim was to investigate the ease and requirements for transferability of systems and services and to develop guidelines and recommendations for their transfer.
A third aim was to investigate the multimodal systems and services provided by the leading MSCs in Europe in order to identify best practices and promote the take up and deployment of MobiServices by European cities and regions (e.g. Stuttgart, Munich, Cologne, Berlin, Paris) by involving them in the project activities through a network of 'followers' with common interests.
Finally, an investigation of the transferability of these systems and services would then enable guidelines and recommendations to be produced for the transfer of best practice between centres, as well as for establishing new MSCs with a comprehensive range of services. This task would also show the way for other European cities and regions to develop and benefit from these best practices.
As mentioned above, the main aim of the MobiService Centres project was to investigate the multi-modal systems and services provided by the leading MSC's in Europe and to identify best practice. The project partners cities were Birmingham, Bristol, Frankfurt, Hannover, Toulouse, Bologna and the region of Hampshire. These cities and the region have the experience and are at the forefront in the development and provision of MobiService Centres in Europe.
Together with a user group of followers, they investigated the systems and services provided by the leading MSCs in Europe in order to identify best practice. The investigation was carried out by means of surveys, questionnaires and a workshop to learn the range and the details of mobility services available from the partners and other interested agencies.
The results would show which facilities, systems and services, and which technologies, applications and methods, should be adopted to provide better services, as well as the organisational implications, and those for organisation, skills, benefits and costs. The project then investigated the ease and requirements for transferability.
A 'set' of essential MobiServices was defined and for each essential service, the partners that did not offer that service at that time looked in detail at how they could accept, and transfer the best practice example from another partner who did offer it. The results were presented in a draft report for presentation and discussion at a conference.
The final report took into account the results of the conference and included confirmation of the likely impacts on organisation, skills, benefits and costs. The project activities were supported throughout by a programme of information dissemination that included the preparation and publication of brochures and other materials, setting up an Internet site, as well as through workshops and a conference. The final report of the project was prepared to show the method and results of the work, the experiences gained and lessons learned.
Funding
Results
The project milestones included:
• setting up a project web site;
• designing and distributing a best practice questionnaire;
• analysing the questionnaire;
• discussing the results of identification of best practice and
• developping transferability framework.
The result of the study was a report showing the range of services offered by the leading European MSC's, the concepts of these MSC's, the benefits and implications for organisation, resources and investment/operating costs.
The project examined a wide range of organisational and technological aspects as well as methods regarding the Mobiservice Centres. Then, it analysed multi-modal systems and services provided by the leading Mobility Management and Service Centres in Europe and identified requirements for improving the services provided by them to achieve a high level standardisation. Furthermore, the project examined transferability of the component systems and services.
Although the project partners are at the forefront in the development and provision of MSCs, they recognise that other cities and regions will have much to offer. Some have equally advanced systems and have developed new and innovative ways of delivering services, some can offer new services that they have demonstrated to be good value, others will have new ideas to propose, while others will be keen to learn.
Therefore, a MobiService User Group has been set up. Anyone who can demonstrate best practice or is simply keen to learn, is invited to join this user group by filling in an on-line form. In this way, he/she can be kept informed and consulted about progress, and will be invited to take part in workshops and conferences, so that he/she will be able to contribute to, and influence the development of best practice in mobility services. Results also included guidelines and recommendations for the transferability of systems and services from one Centre, city or region to another. A project conference enabled the results to be presented and discussed.
The project, as expected, contributed significantly to the identification and promotion of best practice in MobiServices and strongly encouraged the take up and deployment of MobiService Centres by other cities and regions. This, in turn, contributed to a growing awareness and market for MobiServices. These services use the technologies of, and form an essential part of, the information society. The promotion and widespread adop
Policy implications
MobiService (i.e. mobility management/service) Centres (MSC) are a major application of integrated transport telematics systems and services. MSCs are being developed across Europe as comprehensive centres where multi and inter-modal transportation and mobility services are planned and/or operated, and to provide sources of information and advice for users. MSCs are themselves intelligent infrastructures for data capture, processing, exchange and distribution covering all transport modes to support traffic and demand management, integrated sustainable transport operations in cities and regions, including rural areas and trans-European networks.
MobiService Centres, therefore, clearly contribute towards the development of a user friendly information society and address several aspects identified as 'the main focus' of the IST programme.
These include:
• improving accessibility to information (in this case, about local information and services and transportation opportunities);
• enhancing user friendliness;
• increasing the relevance and quality of public services (including special services for the disabled and elderly);
• empowering citizens (especially as customers);
• ensuring universally available access and intuitiveness of interfaces; and, encouraging 'design for all'.
Policy implications for each theme :
Intermodal
MSCs are being developed across Europe as comprehensive centres where multi and inter-modal transportation and mobility services are planned and/or operated, and to provide sources of information and advice for users. MSCs are themselves intelligent infrastructures for data capture, processing, exchange and distribution covering all transport modes to support traffic and demand management, integrated sustainable transport operations in cities and regions, including rural areas and trans-European networks.
Transport management
MSCs are intelligent infrastructures for data capture, processing, exchange and distribution covering all transport modes to support traffic and demand management, integrated sustainable transport operations in cities and regions, including rural areas and trans-European networks. MSCs contribute towards the development of a user friendly information society and address several aspects identified as 'the main focus' of the IST programme. These include: improving accessibility to information; enhancing user friendliness; incre