The transport sector is sitting on the cusp of a revolution powered by digital and driven by intelligence. Across both the public and private sectors, transport systems need to revise existing infrastructure and systems to minimise the fragmentation and inefficiencies that currently impact service and experiences. In a recent analysis of the sector and how it can evolve within a realistic framework and with digital innovation, IDC underscored the value of intelligent and integrated solutions in embedding sustainability and capability into transportation systems.

Why? Because every user and operator within the transport sector benefits from reduced traffic congestion, increased use of mass transport solutions, cost savings, increased efficiencies around revenue collection and travel scheduling, enhanced access and greater equality, and improved environment and pollution management. And every one of these benefits comes hand in technology glove with intelligent and integrated transport systems. Plus, this level of technological efficiency and capability allows for the city to take one step closer towards building Smart Cities that resonate and deliver on expectations.

National transport systems are under pressure from urbanisation, infrastructure development, safety and security issues, and exponentially increasing traffic volumes. The current structure is fragmented with little to no information flow that allows for all players within the sector to gain transparency and visibility. This is essential for building a transport ecosystem that can evolve with the city and infrastructure, as well as potentially overcome legacy challenges and complexities.

So, this begs the question – who should be involved in bringing together this intelligent and cohesive transport system? For IDC, the public sector should take the lead, building a roadmap that dictates strategy and allows for the private sector to step up and lean in. The public sector’s participation is essential in creating a regulatory framework that’s supported by enabling policy as this helps to address issues around data protection, security, digital identities and secure payment platforms. It is also a critical step in the public sector becoming the linchpin around which the transport ecosystem of agencies, organisations, providers, planners and investors can turn, sharing information and standardising systems to create a unified approach that benefits every stakeholder. This cohesive approach will ultimately result in systems and solutions being implemented from a centralised perspective, which means greater visibility and improvements across cost and efficiency.

The goal is to ultimately create a transportation framework and structure that allows for the intelligent sharing of information, creating data and touchpoints that can be optimised to streamline infrastructure, processes and approaches. Plus, this will allow for the use of automation and analytics to refine problematic areas such as route planning, trip scheduling and more. When then linked to traffic management systems, these tools can then reshape transportation on the macro level, providing a more sustainable foundation from which to evolve existing transportation networks and capabilities.

In the whitepaper developed by IDC, the research points out that this is the time to collaborate across the public and private sectors, and to invest into core tools that will enable the intelligent and integrated transportation system – a system that’s built on the strengths of cloud computing, Internet of Things, analytics, artificial intelligence, big data, mobility and digital identities. And one that can be realised with the technology, expertise and commitment to growing the South African economy and infrastructure that BCX brings to the table.

Read the full whitepaper here.