Efficient mobility: 3 levers for enhanced efficiency and resilience

However, scheduled and timetable-based transportation also serves a purpose and is necessary. In this regard, networking provides an opportunity to improve efficiency. During disruptions or breakdowns, hundreds of passengers often find themselves stranded in the same location, leading to inevitable traffic chaos. Usually, it is not feasible to instantly allocate additional capacity to the affected area. But what if the public transport system didn’t have to tackle this challenge alone, relying solely on its own vehicles and drivers? The solution lies in involving private bus companies. To make this possible, contractual agreements must be established in advance.

By doing so, their buses can be deployed promptly in the event of disruptions, providing support to the public transport system in its task. This approach not only helps avoid penalties if necessary but also reduces complaints and the need to maintain additional capacities on one’s own.

Traffic congestion, overburdened infrastructure (roads and railways), crowded buses and trains, the search for parking spaces, and delays in public transportation due to traffic congestion from individual travel —all these challenges are part of everyday life, particularly in urban areas. They pose significant obstacles to efficient mobility. However, implementing measures for intelligent traffic control and shaping mobility behavior can offer solutions and generate efficiency gains:

• For the entire mobility system, such measures can lead to improved utilization of infrastructure by reducing traffic searching for parking spaces and optimizing routing for road users. They can also minimize delays in public transportation through prioritization in traffic control.
• For individual mobility providers, adopting more efficient driving behavior can result in reduced energy consumption.

Driving assistance systems play a crucial role in optimizing traffic flow and reducing energy consumption by providing assistance during braking and acceleration. Furthermore, advanced parking guidance systems that establish communication between infrastructure and vehicles, as well as interconnect them, effectively decrease the time spent searching for parking spaces. Both approaches contribute to reducing emissions and noise on the roads while optimizing energy resource consumption.

Moreover, why not consider parking vehicles away from major traffic routes without requiring additional effort from the driver? In the future, automated valet parking could be implemented to further minimize stationary traffic on public roads. This technology enables vehicles to be dropped off at a designated area, from where they are automatically parked in a parking garage. This innovation also opens up opportunities to repurpose the parking spaces previously allocated for public use, such as utilizing them for sharing services or creating local recreational areas.

In addition to these advancements, prioritizing buses in road traffic and promoting favorable driving behavior among bus drivers are essential levers to enhance public transportation efficiency.