Transit Company BOGESTRA Digitizes Route Planning, Optimizing Transfer Wait Times 1

Transit company BOGESTRA digitizes route planning, optimizing transfer wait times 1

No missed connections

Transit company BOGESTRA by Michelle Cloutier digitizes route planning, optimizing 4-minute read transfer wait times Transit company BOGESTRA digitizes route planning, optimizing transfer wait times 2

ublic transportation can be an ideal way to Pget around, especially in cities where traffic jams and expensive parking are the norm. But good transit requires exceptional planning to ensure that a multimodal system runs smoothly.

Nothing is more frustrating for public transportation passengers than missing a connection to the next tram, train or bus. Tempers flare, especially when the schedule says that they would have made the connection if their bus hadn’t gotten transfers between modes, for example, BOGESTRA AG operates the public stuck in traffic. from a bus to a tram or train. But typical transportation system in the central spreadsheet-based planning methods are Ruhr region of Germany. Its network Transportation planners know that static, limiting the ability to dynamically includes 83 bus and 12 train lines that customer satisfaction is dependent plan and respond to actual transportation serve almost 150 million passengers on shortening passenger wait times situations such as increased rush hour each year. BOGESTRA wants to provide as much as possible, especially for traffic or slow-downs due to construction. exceptional service to each one. Transit company BOGESTRA digitizes route planning, optimizing transfer wait times 3

Until 2018, BOGESTRA used Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for route planning timetable creation. BOGESTRA not only planned individual bus and train routes, Improves but also coordinated the transfers customer between those lines, for example, service with working to ensure that someone taking shorter a bus would not miss, or wait too long transfer wait times for, the tram or train that would take them to their final destination.

The planning process was detailed, manual and time-consuming for the Improves team of five planners at BOGESTRA. coordination And, before making changes to its and planning with adjacent real-time own timetable, the company needed transit data visibility to coordinate with other, adjacent companies transportation operators to optimize with connections with their systems. This required sending the spreadsheet by email for multiple, iterative reviews and follow-up meetings by telephone. an innovative, digital solution to optimize the change. BOGESTRA also anticipated its planning processes. Improving service improving internal efficiencies, allowing In an age of instant communication and quality, especially line transfers, for its its planning staff to focus on other digitization, BOGESTRA wanted to find customers was the paramount driver for critical tasks.

Transit company BOGESTRA digitizes route planning, optimizing transfer wait times 4

Efficient connection planning across the fleet

BOGESTRA turned to IBM Business Partner Bechtle Logistik & Service GmbH, an IT services provider with whom it already had a relationship, to explore possible digital planning solutions. Bechtle in turn introduced the client to SPOO Group GmbH, which had developed a transportation planning solution (external link) for local transit providers.

Bechtle, which provided overall project management, recommended that BOGESTRA deploy the SPOO Group solution on IBM Cloud®. IBM Cloud than other cloud providers. SPOO using IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service as provides the flexibility and scalability Group developers also appreciated the well as the built-in security features of that BOGESTRA needed at a lower price ease of development and deployment IBM Cloud. Transit company BOGESTRA digitizes route planning, optimizing transfer wait times 5

All participants in the project worked SPOO Group standardized the solution capabilities to measure passenger closely together to help ensure that so that, after importing and defining walking and waiting times. The the final platform met BOGESTRA’s the relevant master data into various solution also accounts for rush hours needs and expectations. “We started IBM Cloud databases, BOGESTRA and uses a traffic light alert system with workshops to record the customer could quickly begin using the platform to help planners see current wait requirements in detail,” says Florian for planning purposes. It provides an times and optimize routes to Schindler, Chief Product Officer intuitive user interface that allows eliminate long waits and improve (CPO) at SPOO Group. “We involved planners to easily visualize existing service. Real-time simulations help the customer very deeply in the routes and connections, including wait planners refine and improve routes. requirements phase and in product times for transfers. Finally, it includes line-sharing development to ensure that the capabilities with neighboring transit technology would meet their business The platform integrates with Google companies to facilitate coordination. and market needs.” Maps and includes real-time simulation

“With the revolutionary public transport platform of the SPOO Group, based on IBM Cloud technology and the cloud expertise of Bechtle, we were able to optimize the entire route network of BOGESTRA through real-time simulation within a very short time and thus lay the foundation for customer-oriented future planning.”

Jan-Niklas Huerkamp, IT Manager, BOGESTRA AG Transit company BOGESTRA digitizes route planning, optimizing transfer wait times 6

Better planning, better service

BOGESTRA can now use the digital transportation platform to plan and optimize its entire public transport fleet, including line transfers and coordination with neighboring transit companies.

“With the revolutionary public transport platform of the SPOO Group based on IBM technology, we were able to optimize the entire route network of BOGESTRA through real- BOGESTRA expects to improve will also benefit from the solution’s time simulation within a very short customer satisfaction by providing line-sharing features, which allow time and thus lay the foundation for better service to passengers, BOGESTRA to coordinate route changes customer-oriented future planning,” specifically by reducing transfer with its neighboring transit authorities says Jan-Niklas Huerkamp, IT Manager wait times. Other departments that through a web interface with the SPOO at BOGESTRA. are involved in the planning process Group platform’s dashboard. Transit company BOGESTRA digitizes route planning, optimizing transfer wait times 7

“Adjacent public transport companies optimization and other critical tasks. wait times. For example, it uses can use the common stop and line data By running the scalable solution on client-defined key performance in the platform,” explains Huerkamp. IBM Cloud and by using an intuitive indicators (KPIs) to alert BOGESTRA Coordinating timetable changes with web interface, multiple people can to service problems. Furthermore, other transit providers can now be work simultaneously, in contrast to the the real-time simulation capabilities done digitally, in real time, between previous Excel-based planning process. reveal any discrepancies between companies. This saves what Huerkamp expected transfer wait times and calls “massive amounts of time” by “The platform is highly available and the reality on the ground, allowing eliminating all the manual iterations and scalable,” says Huerkamp. “This saves BOGESTRA to take measures to exchanges of Excel spreadsheets in the time and is cost effective because it improve service. Finally, SPOO Group previous planning process. doesn’t require a separate physical is planning to add machine-learning infrastructure.” capabilities to the solution, which will The digital solution also speeds automatically suggest improvements the internal BOGESTRA planning The solution helps BOGESTRA for route optimization. process, allowing planners to focus on continually improve service and reduce

“We involved the customer very deeply in the requirements phase and in product development to ensure that the technology would meet their business and market needs.”

Florian Schindler, Chief Product Officer, SPOO Group GmbH Transit company BOGESTRA digitizes route planning, optimizing transfer wait times 8

About BOGESTRA AG About Bechtle Logistik & Service GmbH About SPOO Group GmBH

Founded as Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Bechtle Logistik (external link) is part of the SPOO Group (external link) is located in Straßenbahnen Aktiengesellschaft in the Ruhr Bechtle Group of companies established in Denzlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. region of Germany in 1896, today the transit 1983 in Neckarsulm, Germany. It offers a wide Founded as a B2B e-commerce software company known as BOGESTRA range of IT-related services and solutions, company in 2018, SPOO Group has evolved (external link) serves approximately 147 million including server, storage, security and with the digital age. Today the company is passengers each year. Its 2,400 employees software. The company employs 450 people. focused on developing future-oriented and operate a system of 83 bus, subway, train and innovative solutions including cloud, Internet tram lines that interconnect with surrounding of Things (IoT) and mobile applications. Its transit systems to serve the region. digital transport planning solution (external link) was developed by timetable planners for timetable planners. Solution components

• IBM Cloud® • IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service

Produced in the United States of America, August 2021.

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