"Why can't I yet plan or book my journey through Europe - switching from air to rail or sea, to urban or road transport - in one single go and online?", EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas recently asked a group of Intelligent Transport System (ITS) experts gathered in Brussels for an annual ITS conference.
At the moment EU travellers are able to book almost their entire trip online, but only after having carried out a number of operations combining several transport operators.
After having bought a plane ticket, travellers still have to buy extra tickets to reach the airport of departure, and again to reach their final destination once they have landed. Other means of transport are usually involved, including trains, buses, ferries, taxis and personal vehicles.
The destination is not always directly linked to the airport. Additional tickets and connecting means of transport must therefore be taken into account. This implies different booking procedures and does not provide any insurance for the traveller should delays affect the next legs of an multi-modal journey.
Combined transport planners
Such ordeals, which often discourage travellers from visiting poorly served destinations, could become a distant memory if the European Commission's plans are ultimately adopted.
"Online reservation tools, such as Opodo or eDreams, are already widespread (although only for flights). Route planners, like Google Maps or Via Michelin, are also available (but just for car routes). So why not match them together?", a senior member of Commissioner Kallas's cabinet told EurActiv.
"It is clear that we do not want to develop a Commission information tool, but we are willing to support private companies or universities in developing it. From our side we would work to make sure that information can be shared between companies, that common standards are used and that political controversies are solved," the top official added.
Examples of combined transport planners already exist. Air France allows travellers leaving from Charles de Gaulle airport to combine train tickets with their flight. Austrian journey planning website anachb.at enables users to plan an inter-modal trip in the Vienna region using public transport and bikes. Moreover, logistics companies, such as DHL or TNT, already use inter-modal transport planning for their own cargo.
The idea is to make this possible on a wider scale involving hundreds of companies. To help achieve this target, the next ITS conference - scheduled for spring/summer 2011 - could be graced with a showcase of the best projects in the field.
One-stop shops are not only meant to improve journeys for private travellers, but should also benefit companies in their logistical efforts to sell their goods in other markets.
"A well-functioning transport data-sharing system could help companies to rely much more on ship cargo than trucks, with positive effects in terms of CO2 emissions and road congestion," the official explained.
A difficult journey
Although the advantages are clear, the path towards application of these ideas is far from smooth. There are "legal, technical, political and business" hurdles, Commissioner Kallas stressed in a recent speech.
With the exception of airlines, most transport companies are reluctant to share schedule data. This is why it is possible to use online booking tools to find the quickest and cheapest flight, but impossible to do the same for journeys by train or bus.
Another critical issue is that of liability and the question of who is in charge should problems arise. In the event of delays or cancellations of parts of a trip that affect an entire journey, it is not clear who is responsible: the journey planner, individual transport operators, both or another entity entirely.
Insurance for travellers might be provided, but who should pay for it and at what cost is a matter of considerable debate. "It will not necessarily become more expensive for passengers," the Commission official insisted.
Even in the event of agreement on the business case for such a venture, technical problems would represent an obstacle to interoperability between existing booking systems. As with every industrial sector, standardisation is always an issue.
The facilitatory role that the Commission should play in this complex field is not only aimed at operators but also at local and regional public authorities. Cities are the main points of departure and arrival. Agreements between cities could thus make travellers' lives easier. For example, public transport systems in several neighbouring cities could share the same ticket and verification systems.
"How much easier would be if the same metro ticket worked in Paris and London? Little towns could also be encouraged to develop local transport systems if they could rely on the economic advantages of well-developed standardisation in this field," the top official concluded.
