5. Research Needs and Related Recommendations

Among the lines of research called for by the above vision are:

1. Research aimed at the interoperability of information/booking/payments (integration of smart cards-phones-networking-Internet). Interoperability should include car platforms (allowing users to access personalised transport services when on board). This calls for strong and well-accepted standards. The research should therefore consider both the technological aspects and the needs for standardisation.

2. The quantity of information needed to help final users build their own "trip chains" is very high. Moreover, it is distributed among different sources. The definition of new (potential) Individual Decision Support Systems for Traveller Choices involves components like those mentioned in the appendix, including algorithms for multimodal trip planning operating on non-structured information on the Internet, methods for predicting transport/traffic behaviour, methods for interacting with the user and following the decision process. All these components (and others) require new research, if they are to be widely used by transport users for on-line decisions. It particularly important that research on "search engines for transport passengers" is continued, with specific attention to the public transport sector (e.g. where the user wants to search for a seamless solution for a door-to-door - perhaps multimodal - trip, and the search must be done in a very short time, without too many questions, with or without user intervention. In general, the information needed is non-structured and difficult to use, powerful algorithms are needed for comparing the solutions and matching user needs. Finally, the engines have the difficult task of being "cleverer than the user him or herself")

3. The situations in across European vary considerably. It is important to know i) the level of regulation - for transport services as well as for information services, ii) the spread of applications. Research aimed at understanding the complete picture of the European puzzle should therefore be continued.

4. User needs should be analysed in detail with a view to development of the market for Value Added Service Providers. Attention must be paid to the different segments.

5. Research on the changes in transport demand due to these new opportunities (and, for the freight domain, to the development of e-commerce), as well as on possible new demand management schemes, is crucial for a correct understanding of future scenarios as well as for timely planning of new initiatives.

6. As soon as possible, applications should be developed to demonstrate the ability to meet the opportunities offered by the forthcoming UMTS communication services (which will influence the deployment of communication standards and organisational structures).