New (improved) service simplifies travel for Scania’s employees in Södertälje

View current timetables for Scania’s on-site minibuses and for its commuter bus service between Stockholm and Södertälje, or find the closest available electric bicycle… Scania Go will be launched at the beginning of May: a service designed to facilitate travel for Scania employees that will serve as a platform for the testing of new business areas.

Marie Ljungberg is a project manager working on Sustainable City Solutions at Scania. The project is being carried out with Service Management, which manages the operation of the internal transport system at Scania in Södertälje, but also involves many other divisions at Scania.

“Smart Mobility Service Södertälje, as we have chosen to call the project, came about for two reasons,” says Ljungberg. “It’s partly that Scania recognised an opportunity to try out new business areas, but it’s also about modernising the transport system for employees at Scania, since many of them commute to work, there is a shortage of parking spots, and far too few people use the coaches today.”

The project has now been running for a year, and the launch of Scania Go is an important milestone. Two external parties have been involved in the project besides Scania: KTH Royal Institute of Technology monitoring the effects that a service like Scania Go can have; and Veridict is the company responsible for building the back-end system. The project has got financial support from Vinnova, via the strategic innovation program Drive Sweden.

“Scania in Södertälje is like a miniature town where many people move around internally during the day. That’s why it’s such a good idea for us to use ourselves as guinea pigs on Scania Go, testing it out to see whether we can create a good system that we can then package and sell on.”

Scania’s approach to its own public transport may be regarded as a pilot project for future smart transport systems in towns or at other big companies facing similar challenges.

Two external parties have been involved in the project besides Scania: KTH Royal Institute of Technology monitoring the effects that a service like Scania Go can have; and Veridict is the company responsible for building the back-end system. The project has got financial support from Vinnova, via the strategic innovation program Drive Sweden.

Some 70 employees have also been selected as a test group, and they will contribute additionally in terms of evaluating the system.

We will be able to view information on current traffic in the first version of Scania Go, which is due to be launched in May. The minibuses are connected to Scania’s own commuter buses – with departures from the Central Station and Liljeholmen in Stockholm – as well the internal taxi service “Komfortbilarna”. But electric bicycles will also be available as part of the Scania Go service, and the idea is to introduce further types of transport and services eventually.

Erik Bernhardsson, Scania’s Head of Property and Transport – which includes the minibuses – is convinced that Scania Go will make travelling easier.

“Scania Go will enable employees to plan their journeys much more easily, and they will be able to view timetables in the app that is part of the service,” he says.

The next stage of the project will begin following the launch of Scania Go. This will involve route optimisation, looking at people’s travel habits, and an evaluation process.

“Prior to the launch, we will also be issuing a travel survey to 10 per cent of our employees in order to find out how they travel today,” says Ljungberg.