The Transport Administration recently launched a call to find a contractor capable of conducting an analysis prior to the development of MaaS X-road, an integrated data exchange platform for mobility services and ticketing.

The idea is to create a single online environment that connects different transport service providers and also allows people to buy all tickets for all forms of public transport, as well as order taxis and hire cars and plan their journeys.

However, the first step is to find a contractor to carry out the analysis and provide answers to questions related to both technical and legal aspects of the proposed development, Helen-Liis Ridbeck, the Estonian Transport Authority's mobility project manager, told ERR.

"At the moment, we are still in the phase of obtaining the necessary analyses, the aim of which is to find out whether it is technically and legally possible to use existing platforms and whether the new service being developed could be integrated with existing travel planning and ordering systems," Ridbeck said.

Estonian currently dies have a travel planning platform – peatus.ee – which is operated by the Ministry of Regional and Rural Affairs.

MaaS X-road however, is an environment or "secure data exchange middle layer" that will connect all Estonia's public transport and other mobility service providers (buses, trains, taxis and car rentals).

"Thus, the MaaS X-road data exchange layer is just the beginning of a new type of service market, where all the services needed for a journey could be provided in one place, and travel tickers could also be purchased in a single transaction," said Ridbeck.

The prototype is set to be developed in modules, with each module being tested by stakeholders to ensure its suitability. All development activities are also planned to be implemented in phases.

"At the moment, we are at the stage where we are only obtaining preliminary analyses regarding the feasibility of the data exchange. We can't predict a deadline for the final, so-called finished product, as there is still a lot of preparatory work to be done before then," said Ridbeck.

Whether the online environment will eventually be managed by the state itself, or an independent operator will be found, is also not yet clear. A further analysis is expected to provide the answer.

The project is supported by the Government Office's Public Sector Innovation Fund. The total budget for the project is €840,000 over one and a half years.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!