AI-Supported Solution for Fairer Public Transport Fares

How can local public transport become simpler, fairer, and more attractive? A research team at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) is working with the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU) on the TransFairTarif project to develop an innovative solution using artificial intelligence (AI) to make public transport fare structures more transparent and customer-friendly.

Simplify public transport: This is what the research teams and practice partners are working towards (Photo: THI).

The current fare systems are often confusing and unattractive, especially for occasional users. ‘Many people don't use public transport because the fare structures are complicated to understand. We want to change that,’ explains Professor Alexander Baur, project manager at THI. As part of TransFairTarif, the THI team is working with partners to analyze the current fare system of the Greater Ingolstadt Transport Association (VGI). With the help of customer surveys and real mobility data, the tariffs are to be optimized so that they are more comprehensible and fairer for passengers - without jeopardizing the system's economic viability.

‘We combine the customer perspective with modern data analysis methods to develop an intelligent, user-friendly fare structure,’ Professor Baur continues. The aim is to create a flexible, understandable, and fair fare system that is orientated towards the actual needs of users. The research results will not only be used in Ingolstadt but will also serve as a model for other cities and transport associations.

In addition to simplifying ticket models for scheduled services, the project is also investigating how new forms of mobility such as on-demand transport can be sensibly integrated into existing fare structures. ‘Fair and simple fares are the key to making on-demand transport successful,’ explains Professor Pirmin Fontaine, who is in charge of the project at the KU.

The TransFairTarif project provides us with a valuable basis for revising the VGI's fare system in a future-oriented way,’ says Mirjam Leupold-Herrmann from the VGI. ‘We are delighted to be working on a customer-friendly and modern solution in collaboration with the universities in Ingolstadt.’

The project will run until mid-2026 and the first surveys among the population are already being planned. With TransFairTarif, the THI and the KU are making an important contribution to the transport revolution and the creation of simpler, more transparent, and fairer public transport for everyone. The project is being funded as part of the mFUND research program of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV), which supports data-based innovations in the mobility sector.

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