Travel planning gets wise

Building on an earlier initiative in intermodal transport, an enhanced online and mobile platform will enable travellers to optimise their trips and travel more easily.

In 2011, the EU-funded WISETRIP project was successfully completed to provide personalised multimodal travel information from different sources, ranging from weather updates to route planning options. In 2014, the project ENHANCED WISETRIP was set up to build on the results of its predecessor.

To deliver new modules, features and software for the existing WISETRIP platform, the project looked at integrating additional transport modes and journey planners into the system. Researchers worked on combining real-time and other data sources to alert travellers and help them redesign their trip where required. This would improve planning, booking and travelling related to multimodal journeys by considering all user needs, multiple trip criteria, environmental impact and personal preferences.

The envisioned enhancements have been built on cutting-edge technology to achieve more efficient and greener planning of multimodal international trips. All important aspects and preferences such as time, cost and accessibility will be taken into consideration. In parallel, the team has exploited highly advanced mobile interfaces and expanded the number of transport modes (international rail, car, cycling routes) within the platform. Moreover, the number of countries that have been covered have been increased. Better door-to-door journey planning, integrated ticketing options and streamlined information on extraordinary conditions such as strikes, disasters or extreme weather have also been considered.

Overall, the system is expected to address delays, cancellations and mistakes made by the traveller during the journey. It will take into consideration mobility constraints for various categories of users such as accessibility. Another advantage involves enabling passengers to choose among multimodal international travel options. This would also account for their performance in terms of travel time, number of hops and carbon dioxide emissions. Once adopted, the new platform promises to upgrade the travel experience in Europe and beyond.

Related link:
http://cordis.europa.eu