In public transport, every second counts. An unexpected delay, overcrowded trains, or lack of information can disrupt an entire network, ultimately impacting the passenger experience. For commuters, time is invaluable, making smart transportation solutions essential for improving efficiency. Providing real-time updates on the network’s status has become a critical necessity for operators to ensure smooth operations.
This is precisely why the ability to inform, adjust, and respond in real time lies at the heart of today’s mobility challenges. Furthermore, thanks to passenger counting technologies and flow analysis solutions proposed by ACOREL, transport networks are now better equipped to meet these expectations.
Smart transportation powered by real-time data
Effectively managing and optimizing both the transport network and human resources has become essential for transport managers. In this context, the value of real-time data analysis becomes even more evident. By relying on the accuracy of real-time passenger flow data, it becomes possible to operate the network in a more objective and responsive manner.
The passenger counting sensors provided by Acorel offer accuracy rates exceeding 98%, thereby ensuring reliable information to:
- Adjust capacity according to actual passenger demand
- Optimise schedules and frequency
- Plan staff (drivers, agents) more efficiently
Ultimately, addressing these areas contributes to creating smart transportation systems that are both efficient and user centric.
A software suite at the heart of smart transportation
VISION Mobility is a software suite designed not only to collect real-time data, but also to analyse and leverage it.
Thanks to its interactive dashboards, VISION Mobility provides a comprehensive and customisable view of the network, making it easier to plan in the short, medium, and long term. As a result, this intelligent management approach supports better resource allocation whilst enhancing user satisfaction.
Key features:
- Monitor load variations live
- Compare different periods and lines in real time
- Simulate the impact of service changes or urban developments directly from the platform
Real-time passenger information
Real-time passenger information is significantly transforming the experience for both passengers and operators.
By combining embedded sensors, geolocation, and system interconnectivity, it is now possible to determine at any given moment:
- The number of passengers on board a vehicle
- The level of crowding in a station or on a line
- Peak times linked to specific schedules or events
👨🏻💻 For transport managers, this data allows for quicker responses to overcrowding, route adjustments, and more efficient maintenance planning.
👩🏻💼 For passengers, it represents a considerable improvement in comfort: they can check occupancy rates before the vehicle arrives, avoid peak hours, and even receive personalised recommendations via mobile apps.
Moreover, real-time passenger data also serves as an enriched source of travel information. Once integrated into displays, mobile apps or partner interfaces, it becomes a powerful tool for public communication and transparency. Smoother mobility is, by extension, better-informed mobility, a hallmark of smart transportation
Fight against fare evasion with intelligent transportation networks
Tackling fare evasion in public transport requires an intelligent approach rooted in real-time data. By combining highly accurate passenger counting with integrated ticketing data, operators are equipped with a robust foundation for detailed fraud analysis.
Subsequent big data processing enables cross-referencing and exploitation of this information, including:
- Spatio-temporal mapping
- Historical and predictive data
- Real-time analysis
- Fraud peak targeting
- Control action planning
These insights lead to better-targeted, more efficient control strategies. The result: improved return on investment with controls that are more precise, less intrusive, and more cost-effective.
Case study: RTM Marseille
The Régie des Transports Métropolitains (RTM), operator of public transport in Marseille and its surrounding areas, partnered with Acorel to equip its buses and trams with automatic passenger counting systems.
The aim was to align transport provision more closely with actual demand while optimising operations. With over 800,000 journeys daily, RTM must accurately tailor its service, particularly on the busiest routes. Thanks to data from Acorel, RTM now benefits from “load snakes“, which visualise passenger volumes hour by hour, stop by stop, and according to typical periods (winter, summer, weekends, etc.).
The counting system provides us with a realistic snapshot of demand an invaluable resource for enhancing our services.
Daniel Magliaraschi, Head of Production Methods, RTM
In addition, the data serves as a reliable foundation for dialogue with the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis. The tool has thus become a strategic lever for planning, project validation, and performance reporting.
Looking ahead: tomorrow’s mobility
Public transport is undergoing a transformation, driven by the rise of intelligent technologies. Artificial intelligence, predictive simulation, and real-time interfaces are all reshaping network management and the passenger experience.
In this evolution, AI plays a central role in:
- Predicting passenger flows
- Automatically adapting transport provision
- Delivering personalised services
As such, Acorel is fully aligned with this trend, integrating smart algorithms into its passenger counting systems and offering advanced solutions such as Origin-Destination tracking for precise monitoring and deeper insight into passenger journeys.
In a world where every minute counts, real-time data is the cornerstone of smarter, faster, more efficient, and more human-centred transportation. With solutions such as those offered by Acorel, transport networks benefit from accurate, real-time insight into their operations, allowing them to adapt services, enhance the passenger experience, and combat fraud more effectively.
With Vision Mobility, operators gain a powerful tool that turns data into decisions and decisions into action. Ultimately, the future of mobility is being shaped today, with networks that are more fluid, better adapted, and ever more attuned to users’ needs.
Smart transportation supported by real-time data is no longer an option it is a vital response to today’s and tomorrow’s urban mobility challenges.