Project Partners
The Stronger Combined is a consortium of 13 partners from across the North Sea Region:
In Värmland, Region Värmland is the regional public transport authority. Region Värmland is responsible for the strategic development of public transport in Värmland and for procuring traffic operators who drive the traffic; buses, trains and on-demand transport services. The traffic is run under two brands: Värmlandstrafik and Karlstadsbuss. Region Värmland is the main recipient and thus coordinates the implementation of the project. Region Värmland will carry out activities in all work packages in collaboration with other partners; in WP3 by providing transport data, in WP4 by collaborating on innovation processes and in WP5 by exploring new business models in collaboration with public and private service providers together with all partners.
RISE Viktoria is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to sustainable mobility, enabled by information and communication technology. RISE Viktoria conducts strategically prioritised research on Combined Mobility, with competences in three areas: sustainable business models innovation, user perspectives and digital innovation. RISE Viktoria fills an important role in WP2 by providing direct contact with developers of combined mobility in other practical and academic EU-funded projects. RISE is coordinating WP6 and is responsible for providing a mapping study and pilot evaluation framework. The framework was developed within a parallel project KOMPIS, which has confirmed financing until 2022, and can used be utilised in Stronger Combined in a very cost-effective manner.
Opplandstrafikk is part of the central administration in Oppland County and is responsible for public transport in Oppland, which also includes school transport, accessible transport for disabled people, service and ordering transportation and transport permits. In WP2 and 3, Opplandstrafikk will communicate to all Norwegian Public Transport Associations (PTA) the emergence of combined mobility service, what it entails and how it can be used.
Hallandstrafiken is a public transport authority that brings valuable experience and competence in terms of interregional data and ticket standardisation to allow seamless combined trips from its cooperation with the counties of Blekinge, Kronoberg, Skåne and Kalmar. Hallandstrafiken will communicate and disseminate the project, in particular the WP3 findings on ID-based ticketing, in WP2 to other regional partnerships in Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Scotland. In WP3, HAL will focus on the user perspective and pilot ID-based ticketing which will allow any identity holder (e.g. driver's license, card, chip) to pay for public transport in all associated regions.
Samtrafiken is Sweden's main promoter of combined mobility solutions focusing mainly on system integration. It is the contact point for Sweden in international combined mobility development. Samtrafiken is coordinating WP3 and will be responsible for the open data community elaboration and the involvement of external private organisations. The role includes encouraging all beneficiaries to share in-data with the community. Samtrafiken will support beneficiaries in packaging and visualising the data to attract third party developers to combine their services with public transport.
Skive kommune is a municipality representative to many rural areas in the Southern part of NSR. SKI has an ambitious and practical action plan to achieve CO2-neutrality by 2029 focused on, among others, the climate footprint of mobility. In WP2, Skive kommune will disseminate the project to other municipalities in Denmark as well as within its international network. In WP4, Skive kommune will carry out an analysis on mobility potential, including active identification of user groups through citizen involvement, mobility demand and mapping of available transport. In WP5, Skive kommune will establish a cooperation platform with employers and associations to achieve critical mass for combined mobility pilot in sparsely populated Skive.
Publiek Vervoer Groningen Drenthe is the joint managing body for special public transport in the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe in the Netherlands. In WP2 and WP4, Publiek Vervoer Groningen Drenthe will disseminate project findings on combined mobility within the Netherlands and establish cooperation with other PT organisations. Publiek Vervoer Groningen Drenthe is leading WP5. The responsibility entitles to coordinate the efforts of building new cooperation platforms between public transport authorities and various external organisations. Publiek Vervoer Groningen Drenthe will focus mainly on public non-mobility and voluntary organisations to introduce innovative forms of combined mobility for elderly rural residents.
Antwerp Management School is an autonomous management school in Belgium, which organises both education for professionals and applied research, to create value and knowledge to address future challenges. Antwerp Management School is coordinating WP2 and the project's communication activities. This entails preparing the communication and dissemination plan and raw material for press releases, presentations and infographics for the project. Moreover, Antwerp Management School will support the implementation of innovation processes (WP4) and cooperation platform (WP5) and project management for GEN and DIE during the preparation, execution, evaluation and intensive dissemination of Stronger Combined in Flanders.
The city of Genk, in Belgium, is due to its unique spatial planning and socially diverse and complex background operating its own public transport system, G-net. In WP2, the city of Genk will conduct local dissemination and communication around the new combined mobility service being responsible for educating residents, including socially excluded population groups. The city of Genk will cooperate closely with Antwerp Management School in the project on the elaboration of an innovation process and mobihubs development (based on SHARE-North findings) in WP4 in Genk and the piloting of a cooperation platform in WP5.
Dienstverlenende Vereniging Westhoek (Service Rendering Association Westhoek), is an alliance between 18 cities and mainly rural municipalities of the Westhoek Region in Belgium. In WP2, Dienstverlenende Vereniging Westhoek will conduct local dissemination and communication in Flanders, including with the VervoerregioWesthoek PTA, about the new combined mobility service being responsible for educating residents, including geographically excluded population groups. Dienstverlenende Vereniging Westhoek will cooperate closely with Antwerp Management School on the elaboration of an innovation process in WP4 and, based on SHARE-North findings, build the mobility hub-concept further in de Westhoek within the frames of a cooperation platform in WP5.
The city of Rinteln has experience with several combined mobility projects organised and funded by the county and private associations in the community. The city of Rinteln is responsible for dissemination of project findings to State authorities and counties in Niedersachsen (WP2). Rinteln will develop the WP5 cooperation platform for public institutions and community-based mobility providers for transport to and from the Schaumburg central hospital and Rinteln health clinic for both patients and employees and also for the new and old school destinations. This includes piloting of a new "people's bus" service targeted mainly at the sick and elderly (WP4).
The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership is the statutory regional transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands, focused on the delivery of integrated, multi-modal, transport solutions. In WP2, HITRANS will be responsible for UK-wide communication and dissemination through media channels and at events. In WP3, HITRANS will explore data requirements and framework for the development of combined mobility with Publiek Vervoer Groningen Drenthe. In WP4 and WP5, HITRANS will attract private companies and run an innovation process to design a new combined mobility service for tourists in a national park (in cooperation with Opplandstrafikk) and develop a cooperation platform forpiloting the service with third-party service providers.
IBI Group is a global team of industry leading architects, engineers, planners, designers, and technology professionals united by a common desire: to create livable, sustainable, technologically advanced urban environments. IBI Group will support HIT and be an active participant in WP3, WP4 and WP5 supporting open data development andinnovation processes. In WP3, IBI Group and HITRANS will explore data requirements and data framework for the development of combined mobility with Publiek Vervoer Groningen Drenthe. In WP4 and WP5, IBI Group and HITRANS will run an innovation process to design a new combined mobility service for tourists in a national park in cooperation with Opplandstrafikk. In WP6, IBI will be responsible for the local pilot evaluation.