Moving away from mass passenger transit

Moving away from mass passenger transit

A focus on passenger comfort will bring people back to public transportation in the post-pandemic world

Elly Yates-Roberts |


For 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 businesses. 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 efficient, 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 transport operators and agencies, we know which priorities 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 passenger 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 customers about planning and scheduling a transport network, and how to efficiently manage and maintain fleets. We know where 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 understanding of their own customers and to develop concepts fit for the future. Supported by our business intelligence 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

This article was originally published in the Autumn 2020 issue of The Record. To get future issues delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for a free subscription.

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