Project information
- Acronym: ECOPASSENGER
- EcoPassenger tool development
- Sector: Sustainability
- Project start date: 01/01/2024
- Duration: 36 months
- Project director: Lucie Anderton
- Project manager: Philippe Stefanos
- Status: ongoing project
- Project code: 2024/SUS/830
Project description
The EcoPassenger website, launched in 2015, allows users to compare the environmental footprints of different travel options in Europe. By offering detailed environmental impact results for car, plane, and train journeys, EcoPassenger encourages users to opt for more eco-friendly travel, such as rail, when feasible.
Key features of the tool include:
- Complete journey calculations from origin to destination stations, with train timings.
- Comparison charts and tables showing CO2 emissions, energy consumption, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and non-methane hydrocarbons for each mode of transport.
- Adjustable settings for car size, engine type, occupancy, and the option to include or exclude the climate impact of flights.
- Customizable occupancy rates for trains and planes, transport modes for different journey legs, and reference energy mixes for trains.
There is also a multilingual page to help users add a request widget to their websites. Due to numerous requests for significant updates and improvements, a major upgrade of the tool’s methodology and data is proposed, requiring substantial investment in both software and hardware. The UIC is managing the integration of MERITS data and the hosting of the tool, ensuring its continued functionality and performance.
Project objectives
Both UIC members and third parties have shown strong interest in direct access to the EcoPassenger calculation engine. This project aims to provide an Advanced Programming Interface (API) for triggering calculations with simple queries, allowing users to easily obtain environmental footprint results.
The new API front-end will operate alongside the existing website, enabling UIC members and authorized third parties to query the EcoPassenger system for past trip footprints or ticket offers. The project will include:
- A pilot API for proof of concept
- Full-scale API development and deployment based on the pilot
- User profiles, management, and support for API use
- Ongoing API maintenance
UIC will work closely with developers to align member needs with technical capabilities. It’s important to ensure that the API’s results are accurate and comprehensive, balancing real-time timetable data with EcoPassenger’s schedule information.
