OPTI-UP

Paks Transportation Ltd. was awarded a total of 189.420,- € with 95% intensity by the Central Europe Programme to implement the project’s aim.

Project title: Optimizing and greening Public Transport networks through Integration with Urban Planning and data-driven approaches

Project acronym: OPTI-UP

Project duration: 2024.05.01-2026.10.31

Project budget: 2.260.985,94 EUR; Interreg funding: 1.808.788,75 EUR

Project summary

The OPTI-UP project aims to optimize public transport (PT) networks in small and medium-sized cities in central Europe through integration with urban planning and data-driven approaches, while also making PT more environmentally friendly. This holistic approach is innovative because it considers the interdependent relationship between land use and transport and recognizes the importance of data-driven decision-making in PT planning.

This ambitious project involves a diverse range of partners from 7 countries, (9 Project Partners - PP, 8 Associated Partners - AP), including local public authorities, sectoral agencies, infrastructure and service providers, interest groups including NGOs, higher education and research organizations and enterprises. By working together, these partners bring their unique perspectives, expertise, and resources to the project, which is crucial for its success.

The project will directly benefit 6 project areas (5 countries): Osijek in Croatia, Modena in Italy, Paks and Pécs in Hungary, Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic, and Grosuplje in Slovenia. These locations are facing concrete challenges such as a slow recovery of the number of public transport passengers due to the pandemic, an inefficient long-term public transport planning, and inadequate connectivity of suburban areas with urban centers.

To change this, cooperation among the diverse range of partners is essential as no single project could efficiently cover the complex task of optimizing, modeling, and piloting PT networks across 5 different countries with a unified approach. Through this collaboration, the partners will jointly learn and identify the challenges encountered during the development and implementation of project activities. This will enable the project to achieve its objectives of developing the highest quality shared solutions for greening PT services in central Europe.

The project will progress by analyzing the current PT situation in project areas, which will provide the basis for developing the models and joint network optimization plans and strategies. These new, more optimized PT networks in the 6 project areas will be the basis for implementing 3 pilot projects (2 areas per 1 pilot project) that will result in 3 thematic and 1 overarching jointly developed solution.

The project outputs include jointly developed data collection and modelling reports, open database, local plans and strategies, comprehensive strategy, land use-transport interaction (LUTI) and fourstep transport models, pilot projects implementation and evaluation reports, and an toolkit solution for scaling the project results. The project will result in improved policy development, increased knowledge and capacity, new and better services and behavioral change in mobility. This will lead to improved mobility, accessibility, service availability, equal opportunities, less GHG emissions, and reduced car dependency, traffic congestion, and loss of time.

The general public (citizens) is the target group who will benefit most from the project's results. Other target groups (decision-makers, experts and planners) will benefit from the project's outputs and results by gaining access to data-driven tools and strategies for improved PT planning and optimization.

Lead Partner

• Ernst&Young Advisory Ltd. (HR)

Project partnership

• Poliedra–research and consultancy centre of Milan’s Polytechnic University (IT)
• Agency for mobility and local public transport of Modena Inc. (IT)
• DDRIÜ Dél-Dunántúli Regionális Innovációs Ügynökség Nonprofit Kft. (HU)
• Paksi Közlekedési Kft. (HU)
• Institut of Traffic and Transport Ljubljana l.l.c. (SI)
• TU Wien (AT)
• Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice (CZ)
• Urban Passenger Transport Ltd. Osijek (HR)

Associated partners

• PVF Zrt – Pécsi Városfejlesztési Nonprofit Zrt. (HU)
• Paks Város Önkormányzata (HU)
• Grad Osijek (HR)
• Comune di Modena (IT)
• Občina Grosuplje (SI)