Östgötatrafiken: Data-driven decisions in a modular public transportation environment
Data-driven public transportation in Östergötland
Östgötatrafiken is the regional public transport authority in Östergötland and is responsible for planning, procuring, and developing public transport in the county. The operations include scheduled bus services, tram, train, demand-responsive transport and other on-demand services, as well as paratransit and medical transport.
In an environment where many systems and suppliers interact, Östgötatrafiken has chosen a modular system strategy. As part of this work, the organisation implemented Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) from Consat Telematics to strengthen decision-making, monitoring, and the understanding of travel patterns across the county.
Project overview
Partners:
Östgötatrafiken and Consat Telematics
Location:
Objective:
Create a reliable, data-driven foundation for service planning, monitoring, and passenger insights in a modular system environment
Completion date:
“The important thing is that each supplier not only focuses on their own part, but also helps troubleshoot and solve issues in other systems they depend on.”
- Albert Gunnarsson, System Integrator, Östgötatrafiken
The challenge:
When multiple systems need to work as one
Östgötatrafiken has deliberately chosen not to adopt a model where a single supplier is responsible for large parts of the system support. Instead, the overall solution is built from several specialised components. This provides increased flexibility and strengthens the organisation’s role as a client, but it also creates new challenges.
When the organisation itself carries the responsibility for system integration, it becomes crucial that each supplier:
- delivers reliable and high-resolution data,
- understands its role within a broader system landscape, and
- is willing to take responsibility even beyond its own delivery.
At the same time, Östgötatrafiken previously had no passenger counting at all. This limited the ability to work in a data-driven way with service planning, to monitor travel development at a detailed level, and to combine different data sources for deeper analysis.
The solution:
From sensor data to quality-assured passenger data
Östgötatrafiken implemented Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) from Consat Telematics in its vehicles, together with a central matching service used to process and quality-assure sensor data into usable passenger data.
The solution is now in operation across several modes of transport including city buses, regional buses, trams, and trains, and functions as an integrated part of Östgötatrafiken’s system environment. APC data is integrated into the organisation’s own data platform, where it is combined with other sources, such as ticket validations.
To ensure high data quality, Östgötatrafiken works in parallel with:
- matched and quality-assured APC data from Consat, and
- raw sensor data that is analysed and compared within their own processes.
A collaboration tailored for a modular system environment
Together with Consat Telematics, Östgötatrafiken has established a way of working that functions well in a modular system environment, where multiple suppliers collaborate and the responsibility for integration rests with the client. The collaboration has been characterised by a shared responsibility for the overall solution, where both technical and practical challenges are addressed through ongoing dialogue.
The work has involved continuously adapting the solution to different vehicle types, modes of transport, and technical conditions. In some cases, this has required jointly solving challenges outside standardised frameworks, for example during the implementation in trains, where certified hardware was initially unavailable. This collaborative approach has been crucial in ensuring that passenger counting works consistently across the entire transport system.
“When we come to you and say we need your help, you’re there and ready to step in. You take on the role of a puzzle piece and an enabler within our system landscape.”
Albert Gunnarsson
System Integrator, Östgötatrafiken
The results
Driving smarter decisions with data
More precise service planning
With 100% of vehicles equipped with passenger counting, Östgötatrafiken now has a powerful decision support tool. High-resolution data enables detailed analysis of occupancy and travel patterns, especially in complex planning scenarios where services need to be adjusted or optimised.
Deeper passenger insights through combined data
By combining passenger data with ticket validations, Östgötatrafiken can both validate data quality and better understand passenger behaviour. For example, low validation rates on trams in Norrköping were identified and addressed through targeted communication initiatives.
Improved monitoring and sustainability reporting
Passenger data supports continuous monitoring of travel development and forms the basis for sustainability reporting. Detailed insights by city, route, and time period help explain what drives changes over time.
A partnership that works in everyday operations
Close collaboration, regular check-ins, and clear communication channels ensure smooth daily operations. Consat Telematics also provides support beyond the core delivery when needed.
In summary:
A stable data foundation for public transportation
With Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) from Consat Telematics, Östgötatrafiken has established a stable data foundation for service planning, monitoring, and analysis. Equally important is a collaboration that works in everyday practice, where Consat acts as a responsible and solution-oriented partner in a modular system landscape, with a shared focus on passengers and societal value.
- Establishes a stable data foundation for service planning
- Enables monitoring and analysis of transport operations
- A responsible and solution-oriented collaboration
- A shared focus on passengers and societal value