The Partners

• Univerza v Mariboru, Filozofska fakulteta,
• MARGENTO R&D, družba za raziskave in razvoj elektronskega plačevanja in transakcijskih rešitev, d.o.o.

Problem Description

The main objective of the project was to determine the reasons why users of public passenger transport in Ljubljana use the Urbana contactless card to a greater extent than the Urbana mobile application, which offers clients a significantly bigger set of functionalities than the card.

Solutions

The project was executed by a group of students of computer science, mathematics and psychology. Following an initial analysis of the characteristics and functionality of the Urbana application and a review of the scientific literature, the students tested the application themselves.  Subsequently they conducted a field survey on the visibility and use of the Urbana application on a random sample of users and potential users.

The main result of the project is the identification of the shortcomings of the application and the development of guidelines for its improvement. The disadvantages are the following: users are not aware the application exists, incompatibility with the Integrated Public Passenger Transport (IJPP) system, a narrow range of payment system options and poor promotion of the application itself. The findings regarding the shortcomings open up possibilities for improvement and further development, with the most important aspects being: merging the Ljubljana Passenger Transport (LPP) and IJPP systems, increasing the diversity of payment systems, bringing the application closer to the vision of sustainable development of the city of Ljubljana. ), increasing the hedonic aspect of using the application and the importance of effective marketing.

An important contribution to societal benefit is the development of guidelines for the promotion of the Urbana application. The potential of the app in the context of the development of a “smart and green city” in not inconsequential. The application enables more efficient use of public transport which is an important factor in the efforts related to the reduction of environmental pollution.