Swiss railway company SBB intends to offer the passengers a brand new digital solution. It will allow customers to plan their journeys using various mobilities. The new application will be developed by the Lucerne-based start-up Axon Vibe.

SBB and Axon Vibe have signed a five-year cooperation agreement for developing leading personalised, intermodal mobility application. With its help, the travellers will be able to plan and book a wide range of mobility offers via a single, intermodal platform. The list of mobilities includes car, bicycle, tram, train and even e-scooter. All of them can be combined easily and in accordance with the individual needs of the travellers. The trip planning could be provided to the customers in the form of the personalised recommendations or the real-time automatic travel guiding like the car navigation systems. SBB intends to implement the new solution in Switzerland and then distribute it internationally.

SBB digital apps

Currently, SBB offers its customers several digital applications with a wide range of functions. Its most popular and important app is SBB Mobile. The railway company has been operating it for over three years. SBB Mobile allows passengers to search the train connections and buy tickets. Over 3 million customers per month use this app. Also, the Swiss railway operator is testing the automatic ticketing service provided via the SBB Preview application. The SBB FreeSurf solution allows passengers to connect free internet on trains, SBB P+Rail – to select and pay for parking at the train stations and so on.

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SBB Mobile application, source: SBB.

Axon Vibe

Axon Vibe is focused on smart mobility and artificial intelligence. It is based in Lucerne, Switzerland, and has offices in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the United States. Axon Vibe is financed by private and institutional investors from Switzerland. The company’s team includes 100 employees and consists of highly qualified software engineers, data analysts, psychologists and communications specialists.

The predecessor of Axon Vibe was sold to Google in 2006 and has contributed significantly to the development of Google Maps, now the most widely used car navigation system. Recently Axon Vibe received an order from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to optimise the city metro system with the help of digital solutions.