SPAIN: RENFE Operadora has begun the launch of its multimodal Mobility-as-a-Service platform which aims to offer planning booking and payment facilities covering all public transport and shared mobility services in Spain.
The platform is branded Dōcō, an abbreviation of the phrase ‘ir donde quieras, ir como quieras’ — ‘go where you want, go how you want’. RENFE President Isaías Táboas said on September 6 that the national train operator would be the first provider of a door-to-door travel tool for use across Spain.
Potential users can now pre-register to use the service. Once the platform goes live, they will be able to sign up with an e-mail address, a means of payment and details of a passport, identity card or driving licence. Dōcō will then ask for their preferences in terms of the most sustainable or the fastest journey options.
Dōcō will initially be available for travel by train, motorbike, electric scooter and taxi, with bus, bike and metro to be added as part of RENFE’s ambitions to create an open and inclusive platform.
Ambitions
Dōcō has been developed under a five-year contract with Siemens Mobility which has provided the core technology through its Hacon, eos.uptrade, Bytemark and Padam Mobility subsidiaries Everis NTT DATA has supplied the design, branding, marketing, commercial and legal services.
The contract was awarded in 2021 as part of RENFE’s strategy to secure its role as Spain’s principal rail operator and become an integral part of customers’ door-to-door journeys by providing planning services, maps and information on alternative routes.
The operator’s aim is to ensure that it retains a direct relationship with its customers, and benefits from emerging business models within a liberalised passenger transport market, even if the passengers do not use its own trains.
RENFE hopes the platform will attract at least 650 000 new customers to rail and generate 1·8 million additional trips, bringing it €156m of additional income over five years and increasing ticket sales in the main corridors by between 3% and 4%.
