Public transport sector to meet again at IT-TRANS 2022
Public transport sector to meet again at IT-TRANS for the seventh time / Special support for start-ups - Future Mobility Award ceremony in Baden-Baden on July 7
IT-TRANS, the international conference and exhibition for intelligent solutions in public transport, is set to resume its role as the international meeting point for the public and private transport sector for the seventh time. The event will be held from 8 to 10 March 2022 across around 28,000 square metres of space in two halls at the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre. It will showcase digital mobility systems that both respond to individual passenger needs and build on a flexible, on-demand combination of various modes of transportation. There will also be solutions that help transport companies with transport planning, fleet management or staff deployment. The parallel conference will feature 150 speakers in 30 sessions, including presentations, podium discussions and workshops. “Following the cancellation of IT-TRANS 2020 due to the pandemic, we are delighted to welcome back the international public transport industry”, says project manager Jochen Georg. “The event is more relevant than ever. Around 75% of the total exhibition space has already been booked, with 190 exhibitors from 27 countries.”
Future Mobility Award: Award ceremony on July 7 in Baden-Baden
IT-TRANS is not only an important platform for the big names in the industry to present their products and services. A large number of start-ups are also set to present their clever new ideas at the international exhibition. The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) is supporting German newcomers’ participation through a dedicated programme. International start-ups will also benefit from special conditions.
In the run-up to IT-TRANS, organiser Messe Karlsruhe will shine the spotlight on these up-and-coming small businesses. Together with the industry publication Nahverkehrs-praxis and aen – automotive. engineering. network, Messe Karlsruhe will showcase start-ups from around the world whose innovative ideas are shaping the future of sustainable mobility. The Future Mobility Award will be presented at the Regional Conference Mobilitätswende, to be held on 6 and 7 July 2021 in Baden-Baden.
On 6 July, the finalists will have the chance to virtually pitch their ideas to an expert jury and a broad audience. The highlight of the day will be the keynote speech by Dr Till Ackermann, Head of Economics and Business Development at the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV). He will speak about digital transformation in public transport, and how government and start-ups can help. The Future Mobility Award will then be presented on 7 July, with the winning start-up receiving a cash prize of 5,000 euros and a professional coaching programme. Both the presentation of the start-ups and the award ceremony, along will all other items in the programme, will be streamed live online. More information is available at http://www.future-mobility-award.com.
Smart solutions for new challenges
The challenges and developments resulting from the pandemic will play a central role at IT-TRANS 2022. “Our industry will continue to feel the effects of the pandemic for many years to come”, explains Dr Alexander Pischon, Managing Director of the Karlsruhe Transport Authority (KVV). “We are working on flexible and needs-based solutions for our passengers that reflect the changes in the way we work, for example, such as more frequent working from home.” These include alternative mobility systems like mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) that respond to passenger needs for comfort and flexibility. As customers increasingly require more information, intelligent software can provide a solution.
One of the main requirements is real-time information on vehicle occupancy. Public transport companies are faced with the challenge of preventing overcrowding on buses and trains, even after the pandemic. With its MOBILEguide passenger information system, IT-TRANS exhibitor INIT delivers a staged system that lets transport companies forecast vehicle occupancy levels. This information can then be integrated into passenger display systems and used for operational management. In the first stage, the occupancy information is based on empirical values. In the expansion stage, MOBILEguide takes real-time passenger numbers into account, along with historical data on typical embarking and alighting behaviour. This allows transport companies to precisely show passengers how much space is available through an app, for example. As a result, passengers can practice social distancing or look for a suitable alternative connection.
The international trade fair, together with the accompanying three-day conference, will also focus on other key topics related to the increasingly diverse and digitalised world of urban mobility. These will include contactless ticketing, 5G and telecommunications, artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and on-demand mobility services, along with data storage and management. The call for papers will be issued at the end of August 2021.
Karlsruhe: the model region for mobility in Europe
Karlsruhe is an important model region for mobility and is home to many innovations. The city’s tram-train system is known internationally as the Karlsruhe model. The regiomove project, which began in 2017 under the management of KVV, combines public and private mobility providers. It enables a combination of different modes of transport, ranging from bikes, buses and trains to cars, scooters and trams. Passengers can therefore use the various modes of transport flexibly and conveniently. The project offers a seamless mobility and service chain from a single provider. Passengers can plan, book and pay for journeys with all modes of transport via the joint regiomove app.
Karlsruhe is also Europe’s third-largest IT hub, with a high density of companies in the IT and communications sector. This has made it a pioneer in transport, with many intelligent systems for directing, managing and providing information for transport developed and trialled here, before being used around the world. With this expertise and the city’s renowned research institutes, Karlsruhe is also involved in the EU’s Urban Mobility project. Together with the European Commission, member states, experts and interest groups, the city is playing a leading role in this key topic. The ongoing expansion of the Karlsruhe tram network is attracting global attention, reinforcing the city’s role as a model region for future mobility. On top of this, Karlsruhe also acts as a testing ground for autonomous vehicles. The EVA-Shuttle project, for example, tests connected and driverless minibuses under real conditions in the city, with a safety driver on hand at all times.
The city also fulfils its pioneering role through a partnership with the UITP, the International Association of Public Transport, in the UITP Karlsruhe Mobility Innovation Partnership. This partnership is reinforced with a UITP branch office in the city, along with the UITP Regional Training Centre Karlsruhe.
More information about IT-TRANS: www.it-trans.org, www.twitter.com/it_trans and www.facebook.com/ittrans.org/
