CRAIOVA Transport App

By project REGIO-MOB

Published on 31 August 2022

Romania

Sud-Vest Oltenia

Craiova

About this good practice

In the pandemic context, the perception of public transportation is riskier than private because of the closer contact to other people that is possible, sometimes unavoidable, in public transportation vehicles and stations.

Craiova Transport application is a new tool introduced by RAT - the operator responsible with the public transport, through which the passengers are informed about the timetable, about the existing routes or through which they can buy tickets or season tickets using their mobile phone.
This tool is extremely relevant in the pandemic context as the travelers are be able to purchase travel tickets with a single click and avoid the direct contact.
This app is free and available in online mobile phone shops.
Every passenger can validate his trip with a single click. It starts a dynamic process that cannot be defrauded. The controller will inspect the ticket visually.
With the help of the e-ticketing system, the mobile application also provides passengers with a series of information related to public transport in Craiova: data on waiting times at stations, real arrival times of means of transport, routes and available lines.

Resources needed

The application did not involve any cost for RAT Craiova (public transport operator), being purchased through the Craiova Smart City project

Evidence of success

The travel system with electronic cards is also working, with 5,000 people from Craiova purchasing these cards. Authorities say the number is neither high nor low, but expect the number of users to increase after the card validators will be installed on the new buses and trams.

Potential for learning or transfer

This good practice has a high transferability potential and it is very relevant for public transport in general.
The app is very useful not only for the passengers but also for the policy makers who could use data to capture COVID-19’s impact on daily patterns of transport demand. Based on this analysis, public operator could propose future directions for understanding the impacts of pandemics on public transit.