Amadeus leads consortuim for pan-European multimodal booking system

An Amadeus-led consortium is to develop and validate a model for a multimodal pan-European passenger transport information and booking system.

An Amadeus-led consortium is to develop and validate a model for a multimodal pan-European passenger transport information and booking system.

The appointment of the All Ways Travelling consortium forms one of the initiatives adopted by the European Commission within its ‘Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area’.

This aims to build a more efficient, sustainable transport system to increase mobility across Europe, drive growth and associated employment within the transport sector, and reduce carbon emissions.

The Commission’s long-term objective is to ease travel across Europe using various modes of transport, such as air, rail and urban transport to create a seamless door-to-door travel experience.

The roadmap will establish a framework for European multimodal transport that streamlines shopping, booking, ticketing and payment processes.

Other consortium members include Iata and the Dutch/Belgian rail joint venture BeNe Rail.

The Commission’s transport chief Siim Kallas said: “We need to develop European multimodal journey planners in Europe. To make the best use of all existing transport modes and infrastructure, we need to ensure the availability, accessibility and exchange of all relevant information, such as schedules, capacity and paths.”

Thomas Drexler, global head of Amadeus rail and ground transportation, said: “In addition to the breadth of knowledge and experience within the consortium itself, we have created an advisory board consisting of 10 representatives of the major players in the industry to ensure that the approach to multimodal travel is truly beneficial for the travel industry as a whole.”