Whether by bus, train, sharing services or on-demand transport: the reality of multimodal travel is often complex, fragmented and difficult to use. A lack of information about accessible access, last-minute timetable changes or unconnected systems make independent mobility difficult. The CARINA team has set itself the goal of addressing precisely this issue.
The focus was on setting up a digital data space that brings together information from various mobility services – from timetables and real-time data to accessibility information. Based on real data, a web demonstrator was developed to show how this data space can work in practice. ‘This has enabled us to create a technical and organisational basis for more inclusive transport planning,’ says Sandra Draxler, project manager at JOANNEUM RESEARCH.
Draxler's team took on key tasks in the project: the technical integration of data, the development of the web demonstrator, and the joint implementation of workshops with stakeholders and experts. A bachelor's thesis on specific requirements for accessible mobility was also supervised. ‘In a user-centred development process, requirements were developed together with stakeholders and experts from the fields of mobility, social services and technology. Through co-creation workshops and interviews with experts, we were able to incorporate the perspectives of people with mobility restrictions into the development,’ Draxler continues.
A step towards inclusive and sustainable mobility
The CARINA project demonstrated how digital infrastructure can help break down barriers in public transport. The prototype developed is an important impetus for the future design of an Austrian mobility data space – open, networked and accessible to all.
Better data availability enables traffic flows to be managed more efficiently and CO2 emissions to be reduced – for example, through optimised routes or the promotion of active mobility such as cycling and walking. The prototype data room also supports research and civil society by showing how access to reliable mobility data can be facilitated – an important basis for participatory planning and socially equitable mobility.
Das Projekt wurde von der ALP.Lab GmbH koordiniert und 2025 abgeschlossen. Zu den Partnern zählen JOANNEUM RESEARCH, ADV, emprium, nexyo und pdcp (SURAAA). Gefördert wurde CARINA vom Bundesministerium für Innovation, Mobilität und Infrastruktur (BMIMI) im Rahmen „FTI-Schwerpunkt Mobilitätswende“, abgewickelt durch die FFG.
.
More information: www.alp-lab.at/carina www.alp-lab.at/carina
