Finland is one of leading countries both in the research and manufacturing of smart card payment system (SCPS) applications. Presently, almost all-public transport trips in Finland are paid by smart cards. However, the planning of public transport is mainly based on traditional travel surveys. This paper will introduce the methods to gather data about the supply and demand of the public transport using the SCPS. Some design tools for public transport data and methods have developed for public transport planning and those are presented in this paper. Enhancing public transport statistics is considered shortly. The large-scale utilization of the SCPS data requires that a new kind of analysis system should be developed on the basis of the premises presented in this paper.
Abstract