Representatives of international public transport companies came together Feb. 19-20 for the 27th User Meeting of IVU Traffic Technologies AG in Berlin. In talks and discussions, they exchanged views about topics relating to the future of public transport. The keynote speaker was Oliver Wolff, managing director of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV). With more than 500 guests from 18 countries, attendance at the meeting this year was once more at a record level.
Wolff spoke about the opportunities that digitalization is opening up for the public transport sector. Technical developments now made it possible to operate more profitably and at the same time to provide more attractive public transport services. “Mobility 4.0” also involved thinking beyond pure mobility. As a local service provider, a public transport company had close contacts with its customers and these could be used in the age of the “Generation Smartphone” to make additional, individualised offers. In his address, Oliver Wolff also emphasised the role of industry as a driver of innovation. Intelligent systems provided by companies such as IVU Traffic Technologies AG were essential, for example in order to increase the efficiency of vehicle workings or to reduce operating costs.
These solutions were the subject of the subsequent specialist presentations. Speakers from various public transport organisations, ranging from directors of medium-sized companies to representatives of major railway operators, reported about their experience with the IVU.suite. In view of the growing demand from international customers, IVU offered simultaneous translation of talks into English for the first time, enabling visitors from Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Turkey, and other countries to follow all the proceedings.
The User Meeting also provides a platform for the User Groups, under the leadership of long-standing users of IVU systems, to exchange ideas with IVU software engineers. In direct contact, they can discuss future use scenarios and their system requirements. These contacts provide important impulses for the further development of IVU products. “We are very proud of our active user groups”, emphasises Martin Müller-Elschner, CEO of IVU Traffic Technologies AG. “Their constructive feedback not only helps us to continually improve our systems, but is also an example of the partnership links we strive to maintain with our customers
