The content on this page was translated automatically.
Assistance system to make local public transport more attractive - one-year field test planned in Kassel
Image: Department of Human-Machine Systems Engineering at the University of Kassel.
Image: Department of Human-Machine Systems Engineering at the University of Kassel.We've all been there: rushing from the streetcar to the bus stop with heavy shopping, but the connecting bus has just left and the next bus is overcrowded. To make the use of local public transport more customer-friendly, the partners in the U-hoch-3 ("Unbeschwert urban unterwegs") project are working on an information technology assistance system to remove barriers to use. "We have designed an assistance system that provides passengers with needs-based support along their travel chain. In addition to intermodal travel planning, it offers an innovative inner-city delivery service that covers the entire supply chain with luggage drop-off, transport and delivery, making it easier to shop without a car," says coordinator Prof. Dr.-Ing. "Instead of vans, cargo bikes will also be used. If public transport also becomes more attractive and drivers switch to buses and trains as a result, this will also reduce pollutant andCO2 emissions in the city and improve the quality of life in urban areas. Two thirds of journeys made in cities are for leisure activities, shopping and private errands."
Initially, prototype components of the assistance system will be tested in the laboratory of the Department of Human-Machine Systems Engineering using a CAVE, i.e. a simulation environment that uses three projection screens to virtually recreate a location such as a bus stop or train station. Among other things, a streetcar simulator can be placed there and a pedestrian can move around on a walking input device. In addition, a traffic control center will be set up and the use of delivery robots will be investigated.
The system will then be implemented together with the project partners. In a one-year field test in Kassel, practical tests and scientific evaluations will be carried out to determine how the occupancy status of public transport can be recorded and made available in real time. The aim is to enable passengers to react flexibly to the occupancy status in their travel planning. In addition, a concept for ensuring connections is being tested. Customers should be able to signal their connection request so that transport service providers can ensure the connection and provide reliable information.
After an initial concept development phase, in which Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Sommer's Department of Transport Planning and Systems was also involved, and a multi-stage selection process as part of the funding priority "Individual and adaptive technologies for networked mobility" of the BMBF research program on human-technology interaction, the second funding phase for the implementation of the project has now also been approved.
The project will run for a total of five years and has a volume of over 6.6 million euros. Prof. Dr. Arno Ehresmann, Vice President Research at the University of Kassel: "The positive decision for the second funding phase is impressive proof of the quality of the scientific work carried out so far. We are very pleased that the project will create an innovative laboratory for public mobility and urban logistics in Kassel, with which numerous project partners will be networked nationwide and for which the University of Kassel will receive a good 2.4 million euros in funding."
DHL (Bonn/Kassel), INIT Innovative Informatikanwendungen in Transport-, Verkehrs- und Leitsystemen (Karlsruhe) and IVU Traffic Technologies (Aachen/Berlin) are involved in the project as research and development partners. Application partners are Kasseler Verkehrs-Gesellschaft and Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (Kassel). In addition to the Department of Human-Machine Systems Engineering as overall project coordinator and the Department of Transport Planning and Transport Systems, the Department of Public Law, IT Law and Environmental Law (Prof. Dr. Gerrit Hornung) from the University of Kassel is also involved. Associated partners include the Association of German Transport Companies, the City of Kassel, MoWiN.net, the network of the North Hessian mobility industry, as well as Kassel retail associations and operators of shopping centers and parking lots.
Further information on the project can be found at www.u-hoch-3.de
Contact:
Markus Zens
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 804-1961
E-mail: presse[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ludger Schmidt
Department of Human-Machine Systems Engineering
University of Kassel
Mönchebergstraße 7
34125 Kassel
Tel. 0561 804 2704
E-Mail: L.Schmidt[at]uni-kassel[dot]de