Whilst urban centres enjoy an effective and seamless multimodal public transport system, for many peri-urban and rural areas public transport bus services remain the key form of transport providing mobility and connection to essential services such as education, employment, healthcare, fresh food and leisure – and transport hubs.

In such areas with low population density, citizens either have access to a limited and infrequent public bus service or no access at all, leaving little or no alternative to private vehicles. However, for others without private vehicle access the only alternative is active mobility. Depending on the geography and the age or health of the community in question, the latter option is often not a valid alternative. These collectives therefore fall completely off the mobility grid.

Digital Bus aims to close the current digital gap observed by small and mid-sized operators often, but not exclusively, running services in rural areas. Currently a rudimentary manual booking and info system prevails with inefficient data, poor management and impoverished user service due to a lack of information and transparency. Digital Bus will demonstrate the benefits for public transport operators and end-users alike. The main features of the solutions are:

• improved information and accessibility for users;
• safety-related issues, including increased number of stops for night bus routes that can be managed by the digital on-demand platform;
• enhanced efficiency for operators, including improved fleet management;
• improved data collection for improved efficiency of service including fuel, length of trip and to improve the concept of public transport as a quality service, creating a knowledge centre exploring user insights and cognitive behaviour.