Hitachi Rail has connected public and private hire transport across the City of Genoa. The company has connected 663 buses, 2,500 bus stops, a metro line used by 15 million every year, two funicular railways, a historic hillside railway, ten public lifts and two suburban bus routes that span over 30 miles (50km). Private hire e-vehicles, car parking and bike hire have been integrated into the same system.

Hitachi has developed a mobile app that allows passengers in Genoa access to every mode of public transport in a city “hands-free”. The app uses Bluetooth sensors to connect buses, trains and even funiculars. The 360Pass app also gives users the ability to hire private e-vehicles, pay for parking and identify e-mopeds.

The cheapest possible fare is automatically calculated at the end of each day based on the passenger’s actual usage.

The city-wide connection is the first use of Hitachi’s smart mobility suite, Lumada Intelligent Mobility Management. The suite connects smart ticketing, traffic flow management and e-charging through a common analytics platform.

Hitachi says that the new suite could help major world cities increase public transport use, cut C02 emissions and slash traffic congestion hours for drivers.

A Digital Twin of Genoa

Over 7,000 Bluetooth sensors have been installed in Genoa. They have allowed the creation of a digital twin of the region’s transport and passengers’ end-to-end multimodal journeys. This real-time electronic map of how the city is moving allows operators to optimise services, timetables and create a system that better accommodates changing passenger demand. It can identify the issues that deter public transport usage, such as congestion, emissions, crowding or gaps in services.

In addition to smart ticketing, the suite can combine solutions to help operators control traffic flow and service patterns in real time, allow operators to react more effectively to disruption or large scale events (concerts or sporting) happening across the city. Further, by join up information about the level of emissions and congestion in different geographical area, it allows operators to make smart decision about where to target electrification of services first and prioritise locations for charging for e-bus and e-car fleets and infrastructure.

The 360Pass

Hitachi’s 360Pass smart ticketing eliminates both traditional paper tickets and the need to ‘touch-in’ when boarding trains or buses. It also removes the need for multiple apps to use different transport services around the city.

The 360Pass connects Bluetooth sensors that know when a passenger with the mobile app has boarded, how far they have travelled and when they disembarked. Users can take multi-modal journeys and the 360Pass system will ensure they pay the lowest cost fare at the end of each day.

The 360Pass app also offers more personalised information about public transport journeys, including fastest and most convenient multi-modal route options and real time journey updates.

It allows passengers to check how busy bus services are through the app, enabling them to choose less crowded services. This feature can help allay the increased anxiety about crowding post-Covid. A recent study by research company Transport Focus found Covid concerns the second biggest barrier to public travel.

In Genoa, the 360Pass is being delivered in partnership with the city’s public transport operator, AMT, and the Municipality of Genoa. Locally, it is being branded GoGoGe. The technology is part of the municipality’s drive to boost the usage of both public and private e-hire services. The project aims to provide more easily identifiable solutions to the ‘last mile’ problem faced by passengers and public transport authorities around the world.

Alessandro de Grazia, Group Head of Smart Ticketing, Hitachi Rail, said: “Hitachi’s Lumada Intelligent Mobility Management suite is a world first for smart mobility and can improve urban transport in cities around the world. For the first time, passengers can plan and access the most convenient multi-modal journey for the cheapest fare, without ever removing their phone from their pockets.

“Today, cities face the challenges of growing public transport use to reduce emissions, cut congestion and boost their recoveries. Our new solutions – proven in Genoa – provide a uniquely powerful platform for operators. Across the UK, from London to Glasgow, and Birmingham to Manchester– we can help operations connect, scale and optimise their entire transportation network through a single platform.”

Marco Beltrami, President, AMT \Genoa’s public transport operator] said: “GoGoGe, the name we chose in Genoa for Hitachi’s 360Pass app, offers a unique travel experience to our customers with the game-changing hands-free technology. We can follow our customers throughout their journey, across all transport systems, getting a clear picture of their end-to-end journey.

“Deploying Hitachi’s technology is a great opportunity for both AMT and the city of Genoa to be a leader in smart mobility and test innovative technologies that will make a big difference to travel in cities around the world.”