structural development

"Lausitz-Haltestelle"
intelligently networked customer requests for mobility and supply stations!

A contribution by Heike Schleussner

In August we reported here in the blog about the future vision for mobility in Upper Lusatia, which we developed together in the "Lausitzcluster Mobility" network.

In the meantime, further meetings of the network have taken place. A few days ago, at the Siemens Innovation Campus in Görlitz, we focused on the so-called "mobility and local supply stations" with corresponding customer requests as part of a workshop.  

Since we are not a network of empty words, ZVON carried out a passenger survey together with the TU Dresden in advance. The aim was to find out what the passenger actually wants at the bus stop of the future. In the survey period from October 19 to November 14, 2022, 582 passengers took part in the survey, which could be completed both online and on site through personal surveys.  

Specific wishes of the passengers

More than half of the passengers surveyed are bothered by the lack of passenger shelters at bus stops and complain about missing or poor passenger information. It also became clear that the lighting at the stations is particularly important in order to feel safe. For the construction of the stations, passengers often want a mix of materials that should also match the environment and be functional. We found the idea of ​​equipping the stations with a graphic design according to tourist and regional characteristics particularly exciting, or even holding architectural competitions here. A little less important to the passengers are the seating facilities and notices with price lists or a map of the area.

In summary, the following characteristics are most important to passengers:

1. Weather protection/passenger shelter
2. Timetable notice/ information 
3. Lighting for more safety

Change perspective 

All participants in the event followed the results with great interest, as they already knew that they should now slip into the role of product developer for the Lausitz bus stop. In the first round of work, we focused on special customer groups with a wide variety of requirements (according to age, gender, restricted mobility and purpose of travel) and determined which offers are important for the respective groups. In addition to snack machines, bicycle parking facilities, WLAN, sharing offers, an emergency button or charging options, the route to the bus stop and digital information systems were also discussed.  

It quickly became clear that the bus stop could not just be a sign in the future, but above all had to be developed together with the environment. The transport service is the lynchpin of regional development. It plays a key role in deciding whether people stay in the region and businesses settle. It takes more than a stop sign, a timetable and a lamp. The stop must be understood as a place where the passenger has a wide variety of transport options. It can also be a digital market, for example, where regional products can be bought at a supply station. It's usually worth looking outside the box. We also got innovative impulses from Austria and the Kiel region , where networked stations in rural areas are already part of everyday life, in order to set new standards at the Lausitz stop.

support secured

Of course, we not only want to develop visions and ideas, but also define the first milestones and partners for implementation. We are particularly pleased that the Saxon State Ministry for Economics, Labor and Transport will support us in the implementation of our project ideas in the future. Until then, however, we will put the idea of ​​the "Lausitz stop" in more concrete terms and underpin it with further customer opinions and discussions with experts. However, one thing is already certain: the path to future mobility must be simple, digitally networked and attractive!