Hogia is one of the leading software developers in Europe supporting Public Transport Authorities. 90 % of passengers in Sweden and 70 % of passengers in the Nordic regions, receive their passenger information through our public transport systems.

Our 30+ years of experience working with Public Transport Authorities have made us industry leaders in our field. To meet market demand and our customers needs, our suite of standard Microsoft products is continuously developing with input from all our stakeholders and experts. With digital technology we help our customers increase the efficiency and focus on the passenger experience. 

Information technology is an increasingly integrated part of public transport, and transport authorities have begun to transfer more responsibility to the operators to provide information services.

As an operator you need to have control over your traffic data and processes in order to work more efficiently, with connected vehicles, traffic and passenger management for flexible traffic and to streamline your business processes.

Hogia supplies the operators who have contracts with responsibility for the information supply chain. There, the requirement is for the operator to have connected vehicles and report all vehicle incidents and deviations in real-time to the public transport authorities, the driver and travelers. Contracts that include handling the entire information supply chain in Sweden include that the operators not only provide the service, but are also responsible for providing all the information linked to the traffic. As a result, they have the opportunity to make data driven decisions to improve their business. 

Through improved digital processes to collect data, VR Sverige has improved the accessibility, punctuality and information of its bus traffic, which both attracts more passengers and increases customer satisfaction. VR Sverige has brought all its processes together into one Bus portal, and Hogia is one of the main suppliers to that Portal.

VR Sverige has developed its own digital system support in the Bus Portal, which coordinates and optimizes important processes that facilitate the accessibility of bus traffic. When the drivers begin their shift, they log-in to the bus portal system which is integrated with several other systems which generate data and send it out to the transport authority, the other bus operators, on-board staff, traffic controllers and vice versa. This means that everyone involved receives the same information at the same time, in real-time. VR Sverige and the traffic authority SL can therefore quickly discover if there is a bus that is not running on schedule, or if an incident arises which might affect any journeys or disrupt the timetable. The bus portal increases punctuality and regularity using driving assistance systems and deviation management, and this in turn improves the accessibility of bus traffic and increases customer satisfaction.

Hogia’s traffic management in the Bus Portal sends out information directly to the bus driver about any changed routes, and updates are sent out via digital channels to travellers. Hogia gives travellers even faster information about their journey including any delays or changes to schedule.

Transdev took over bus traffic in Sigtuna, Märsta, Upplands Väsby and Vallentuna in the Stockholm region, from the 21st of June, 2019 on a 10 year contract. The contract also includes the local commuter traffic to Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, where almost 20,000 people work each day.

The entire bus fleet is fossil-free comprised of of biodiesel buses, ethanol buses and electric buses. The buses are all wheelchair accessible and offer better comfort for passengers with USB sockets by every seat, free WiFi, and screens showing real-time passenger information.

The buses are also equipped with various sensors to increase safety and have an advanced IT infrastructure developed in collaboration with Hogia. The new control system includes, among other things, every second positioning, passenger counting, prognosis management, voice communication and lane changing. Data is exchanged in real-time between the back office and the driver, and Transdev have a complete overview of their operation at all levels. Before, during and after the journey, drivers and travellers have access to improved information. All to give travellers the best possible experience.

“Our goal is to get more people to use public transport because it is smart for the environment, for the economy and for society at large. One way to get more people to park up their cars and travel collectively, is to ensure that the journey is as comfortable as possible. The new buses are of course an important part of this work and we hope that our passengers will appreciate them”, says Fredrik Beckius, Business Manager at Transdev.

In summer 2020, Svealandstrafiken invested in a traffic management system from Hogia. The initial implementation included 150 buses in and around the city of Örebro. The system will equip Traffic Controllers with a real-time overview of their operation, as well as analysis and reports to follow up on how their buses performed during the day. The investment is part of Svealandstrafiken’s ambition to offer more efficient public transport.

“Today, Traffic Controllers need to work with several different systems to be able to carry out their tasks. The new traffic management system collects all available data from different sources into one single view. It will be easier to understand what is happening, and easier to make the right decisions when you can see the whole picture and what the consequences of different measures will be”, says Mats Dahlström, head of traffic management at Svealandstrafiken.

Hogia’s traffic management system is based on open interfaces, this makes collecting data from several 3rd party systems simple and means the Hogia system can be easily integrated with Svealandstrafiken’s existing systems. “It is inefficient for a Traffic Controller to have to repeat the same action in multiple systems. My goal is to work in one system, and from there to send information to all interested parties. We want to be able to share the information we have with those who need it. Before, for example, the Traffic Controller had to call the driver to get information about a disturbance, which took time for both the driver and the Traffic Controller”, says Mats Dahlström.

Thanks to all the data collected in the traffic management system, it also allows for better planning of future journeys, and helps identify measures which could lead to improved customer satisfaction.

Superior passenger guidance with automated system
Nearly 25 000 passengers use public transport within the Kalmar Region each day. As journeys are handled by various operators, several parties need to cooperate to offer passengers a smooth journey.

- Traffic-and passenger management is handled by two full time staff members at Kalmar Regional Transport. On a normal day, around 30-40 announcements are published in our system and the most common incident is a 10-15 minute delay, says Marco Ottosson, traffic manager at Kalmar Regional Transport.

An early adopter of automated passenger guidance
- We have used Hogia Traveller Information Management System for several years now and we are very satisfied, says Marco. - Using Hogia’s system eliminates manual and time-consuming processes such as entering the same announcement on all screens.

With the help of Hogia we just enter the information once and the system automatically loads it onto all channels. It takes less than a minute to make an announcement through all our channels. The customer gets the information quickly and we save a lot of time, Marco says.

Using standardised templates for announcements
To make the customer feel reliant on traveller information it’s important that the information in the announcements is correct and identical across all channels. Kalmar Regional Transport has produced 15-20 standardised announcement templates, covering the most common incidents. Working with templates ensures the information remains the same across all channels, regardless of the service partner delivering the announcement. As a standard Kalmar Regional Transport always informs customers of de- lays of 10 or more minutes, partly or completely cancelled services, overcrowded services, suspended and moved stops.

Increased customer service
- Customers expect correct and timely information, ideally on-the-fly, says Marco. - Our ability to efficiently deliver the same information to travellers across all our channels; website, smartphone, text messages, screens at the stops and onboard buses, radio and other media, helps us achieve good customer service.

Less pressure on customer support
- Our customer support team use the same system, enabling them to quickly and easily create announcements as and when several customers call in with the same questions. As we make announcements, we notice a large reduction in inbound calls which is proof that the information really reaches the travellers, Marco concludes.

About Kalmar Regional Travel
Kalmar Regional Travel is a department within the Kalmar County council and is responsible for all public transport within the county, including city buses, regional buses, several train lines and service journeys. All transportation is handled by service partners. As the Swedish Transport Administration runs the train lines this is also an important partner. Source: www.klt.se