Collective road transport can and must become "the engine of inter-mobility" thanks to the support of technology. Intermodality is a need for 70% of Italians, but for 80% there is still a lot to do although progress has been made (75%). It is the result of research conducted by GPF Inspiring Research for IBE Intermobility and Bus Expo in April 2022 on a demoscopic sample of 663 interviews (representative of users who regularly use one or more means of public transport) as well as a selected number of stakeholders and opinion leaders in the sector. The collective transport of the future, it emerged, will be increasingly interconnected and oriented towards the service of the citizen-customer.
Road transport and the Coach segment
According to the interviewees, it is precisely road transport that should become the most "champion" of intermobility (6 users out of 10) by investing above all in cutting-edge technological systems, an aspect considered fundamental by almost 95% of the sample.
The "Coach" segment is now considered by 8 out of 10 users to be practical, comfortable and punctual; a good degree of safety and adaptability to needs is perceived. A dynamic sector and (similarly to what has been said) in full transformation, the Coach sector is undergoing an evolution along 2 complementary directions:
• optimization of what already represents a strong point of the sector, ie "comfort", with investments in special seats, such as chaise longues and investments in entertainment, drawing inspiration from what has already characterized the top air and rail/HS services;
• greater accessibility in terms of economic offer, to attract an ever wider catchment area of users, with services capable of acting as a "competitor" to public transport (by other routes).
The analysis of the demand from the point of view of the "stakeholders" focuses on the role of integration and intercommunication with-between the means, with methods designed for the user, characterized by accessible digitization and "user-friendly" technology. Technology must therefore act as the glue between supply and demand.
Collective transport: the watchword is sustainability
Ecology is no longer just a "facade": most of the regular users of public transport want a transport characterized by ecology and respect for the environment; overall, 89,5% of the sample declares that the choice of means of transport is influenced by environmental considerations.
Even the economic element has its impact: almost a third of users say they are very influenced by this factor; overall more than 9 out of 10 users are said to be influenced by this variable.
Technology at the service of the individual
Road transport is in the course of a technological revolution and functional that will allow it to "change its skin" in the direction of ever greater autonomy, speed, punctuality and flexibility for the user. According to the "stakeholders" the interaction between supply of means and infrastructural management will however give its best in urban realities where independent and external neighborhoods/"hubs" can be foreseen with respect to the city centre; "15-minute" or even "5-minute" contexts, conceived for inter-mobility and where road transport is not subject to traffic variables, with "zero-emission" vehicles that allow the economic sustainability of the service.
Furthermore, according to the research, an added value of the technology is perceived in particular in terms of security: just think of the advanced braking, assisted driving and automated road holding services, capable of giving the driver real-time details on the road. These aspects are accompanied by elements aimed at guaranteeing greater effectiveness and fluidity of the service, such as interconnection with traffic lights or other means, as well as the instrumentation capable of informing the "driver" about the conditions of the route and the "status of the request" i.e. passengers waiting at bus stops.
The scenario of the future
In summary, the key words of the intermobility of the future for the "stakeholders" are:
• Ecology: sustainability is the first objective, thanks to environmentally efficient means;
• Safety: the technology will interact with the infrastructures on the ground. Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) will become a "standard";
• Integration: the MaaS (Mobility as a Service) will be based on the development of platforms that allow the integrated offer of several "competitors" in transport services along the value chain;
• Digitization: central will be the degree of interactivity with the user/customer who will manage their mobility needs with a single APP, easy and fun to use thanks to the "gamification" which, with a "playful" approach, rewards the purchase of services environmentally sustainable transport.
