Since its launch last September, the SINFONICA project has made good progress towards achieving its ambitious objective to boost the development of inclusive CCAM (Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility) solutions and services in Europe, with a focus on public and shared transport.
As the transport landscape continually evolves with the emergence of new mobility services and technologies, societal aspects of smart mobility need to be taken into account to ensure that the future of transport is fair and accessible to all citizens. By placing inclusivity, accessibility, and equity at the forefront of its mission, with a special focus on vulnerable user groups, SINFONICA aims to facilitate the wider public’s adoption of CCAM technologies. As an important project of the CCAM Partnership, SINFONICA plays a key role in advancing the understanding of the societal needs regarding CCAM, which is essential to enable the development of viable CCAM services.
SINFONICA will develop novel strategies, methods, and tools to engage CCAM users, providers, and other stakeholders in the creation of solutions that respond to their needs, desires, and concerns regarding CCAM. An important first step in the project was to understand the requirements of diverse citizens and stakeholders. In the initial months of the project, the partners focused their efforts on defining the mobility needs of different user groups relevant to the project, including people with low income, the elderly, digitally vulnerable people, people with disabilities, and key industry stakeholders, such as operators, service providers, public administrations, legislators, and the research sector. Identifying which needs and requirements can be met by CCAM solutions is vital for the deployment of CCAM services that benefit all. This knowledge forms the basis for the work that is carried out in the other work packages of the project, especially for user engagement activities.
The project partners also worked on the creation of a participatory approach and on defining strategies for user engagement and data collection. These strategies are aligned with the previously identified requirements and needs, fostering active participation in the SINFONICA Groups of Interest in Trikala (Greece), Noord-Brabant (Netherlands), Hamburg (Germany), and West Midlands (United Kingdom). Over the coming weeks and months, three rounds of interviews and various workshops will be conducted in these cities and regions to gather direct input from citizens facing specific mobility challenges. During 2024, the collected data will be used in a task led by ERTICO to create recommendations and guidelines for the inclusive and equitable deployment of CCAM.
“SINFONICA is a key project linking CCAM and the EU’s Just Transition objective in ensuring that the transition towards a climate-neutral economy happens in a fair way, leaving no one behind. It is important to the ERTICO Partnership that CCAM and other areas of ITS deliver benefits for all sectors of society and SINFONICA is important in understanding these needs. The project’s Knowledge Map Explorer, guidance and recommendations will be a catalyst for ensuring that technology and inclusivity go hand in hand,” says Andrew Winder, Senior Manager at ERTICO.
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