Transport for Wales (TfW) has entered a five-year partnership with Hitachi Rail to digitally connect public transport journeys across Wales through a single, easy-to-use app.
This initiative aims to simplify how customers plan, book, and pay for travel, incorporating various transport modes, including rail, buses, bikes, e-scooters, and demand-responsive options.
Leveraging its expertise from Japan’s rail network, Hitachi will implement a multimodal booking system for users across Wales.
Through the new app, users will be able to plan journeys using rail, local buses, and TrawsCymru services. Additionally, micromobility solutions such as bikes and e-scooters, already in use across Wales, will be integrated into the platform.
The digital system will ensure that all forms of public transport are easily accessible, making it simpler for people to switch between transport modes during their journeys.
This partnership marks a significant step in driving sustainable and low-carbon travel across the nation, encouraging more people to shift towards greener public transport options.
Marie Daly, Chief Customer and Culture Officer at TfW said:At TfW we're always looking to improve the customer experience and in doing this we want to attract more people to our public transport network.
This exciting and ambitious project will deliver a digital solution that will help our customers plan point to point journeys using different modes of public transport. It's all part of our longer-term plans and aspirations to provide our customers with one network, one timetable and one ticket.
We look forward to working with Hitachi and bringing this global expertise to public transport in Wales.
Throughout this partnership, Hitachi will draw on its experience in ticketing technology, particularly in Japan, where over 50 million multimodal ticketing transactions occur daily. The company will also incorporate lessons from initiatives in Italy to develop a tailor-made Mobility as a Service (MaaS) solution.
However, unlike most MaaS initiatives, which tend to focus on urban areas, this project will cover the entire country, including rural regions. The system aims to promote low-carbon travel and accelerate the green transformation across both cities and the Welsh countryside.
Justin Southcombe, Commercial Director at Hitachi Rail said:This strategic partnership with TfW will benefit from the breadth of mobility, digital and behavioural science expertise that exists in the Hitachi Group.
Hitachi can combine the latest in cutting-edge digital technology, with deep knowledge of managing some of the world’s most popular transport systems, to better connect journeys.
By making public transport more accessible and user-friendly, Hitachi can help increase sustainable travel in Wales.
This project aligns with Hitachi Rail’s broader mission to drive the mobility transition through digital innovation, fostering a shift towards public transport and contributing to the reduction of transport emissions.
