Re-imagining the passenger experience for improved mobility

Credit: Transdev

Can you tell us about your role at Transdev and what your main responsibilities and goals are in this position?

I am the Innovation & Business Development Manager at Transdev Netherlands, where I am responsible for the Business Development Funnel and implementation of new innovations. This means connecting internal business needs and challenges with potential (technological) solutions in the external domain, with a focus on improving the customer experience.

How do you believe a good and attractive public transport system can have a positive impact on society, and how do you envision achieving this through your role at Transdev?

As the Manager of Innovation & Business Development, I create new services and digital tools to improve the experience of our customers. I sincerely believe that good and attractive public transport can have a positive impact on society and that more people should make use of it!

My contribution to make this happen is developing new services that take away possible boundaries for our (potential) customers and/or make the customer experience with public transport more interesting and attractive.

Could you tell us about the travel information apps that you have been involved in creating, such as the Veolia App, Brabant OV App and Connexxion? What were the key features and functionalities that were integrated into these apps?

The development of travel information apps is an important aspect of enhancing the customer experience.

To enhance the mobility experience for potential customers, it is essential to provide them with accurate information about the available transportation options to go from point A to B. Therefore, creating solid, smart and intuitive travel information is key. In the Netherlands, we have created a solid foundation for the standardisation of Open Data, which allows developers to deliver high quality travel information services.

In my role, I have tried to emphasise on this important starting point for our passengers. This is also the reason that I have been involved in several travel information apps with a focus on push messages around disruptions, multimodal trip advice and virtual vehicle locations.

How do you ensure that the digital services and tools that you develop align with the evolving needs and preferences of customers, and what methodologies or approaches do you follow to gather customer feedback and incorporate it into your development process?

In our business development and innovation process, we embrace the principles of co-creation and co-production. Co-creation involves collaborating with customers and internal stakeholders to discover their needs and requirements. We actively engage them in the development of new solutions, seeking their valuable input and feedback. Co-production, on the other hand, entails partnering with external entities, such as industry experts or technology providers, to jointly create and deliver innovative solutions.

To implement these methodologies, we rely on the Agile Scrum and Scaled Agile Framework.

Collaboration and teamwork are essential for achieving innovative outcomes. How do you foster a collaborative environment within your team and leverage the talents available within the organisation to create optimal solutions for Transdev and its clients?

Innovation is not something that can be done by one person alone. The specialists within their specific domains are crucial stakeholders in gathering input for our business development and innovation process. Most of the time, we try to prevent the pitfall of ‘finding a problem for a solution’ that is often offered to us by start-ups or scale-ups.

We use an Innovation Board with a broad spectrum of internal stakeholders to get an overview of the current challenges that we face and to make sure that we have insights and perspectives from different domains. This gives us a mutual understanding on where we need to focus in terms of business development and innovation.

Looking ahead, are there any upcoming projects or initiatives that you are particularly excited about?

Firstly, I am especially excited about the next steps that we are taking with our Be-In-Be-Out pilot, which we won two International Association of Public Transport (UITP) awards for during the UITP Summit in Barcelona! Within the payment scheme, a lot of developments are taking place which should create more convenience and ease of use for (potential) passengers.

With the ongoing work to create liveable and healthy cities, addressing crucial aspects such as sustainability, congestion and viability, it becomes crucial to focus on initiatives that create a mobility eco-system that is more intelligent, frictionless and environmentally friendly.

How do you stay updated with the latest trends and advancements in the field of digital services and customer experience? Do you actively engage in professional networks or attend industry events to broaden your knowledge and stay ahead of the curve?

Like other specialists, I try to keep up to date through events and knowledgeable networks, as well as partnerships with universities and/or start-ups. We use feedback loops from passengers to generate valuable insights for further developments. In addition, innovations and ‘out of the box’ business developments in other branches provide interesting insights for new ideas.

You have recently joined us as a new member of the Intelligent Transport Advisory Board. Why do you think it is important that the industry comes together to share knowledge and experience?

As an industry, we have faced (and are still facing) the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the environmental challenges that we face, and I strongly believe that the mobility industry should place an important role in shaping a healthier and brighter future. But this is something all public transport operator’s struggle with. I think we can all benefit from mutual innovations solutions that focus on these bigger issues to create a much bigger spin off and impact.