Prepared for what lies ahead in tourism
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F.acT: Diana GreenConnect is a further development and generalization of the considerations that were started as part of the non-profit organization "Bahn zum Berg". We have already reported on this on F.acT. Could you explain in more detail how this further development took place and what specific needs it addresses?
Martin Heppner: During the development of "Bahn zum Berg", we quickly realized that the basic idea could be generalized and not just limited to hikes. That's why the three of us founded Zuugle Services and developed Diana GreenConnect. It was important to us that the service works across Europe and across borders and that we take a holistic, end-to-end view of the use case for end users.
In concrete terms, this means that a short break is only accessible to the public if arrival and departure are guaranteed at the desired time. If a person wants to arrive on Friday and leave on Sunday, but the bus only runs on school days, the information that you can get there on Friday is not only insufficient, but misleading. With Diana GreenConnect, we ensure that the entire journey can be planned logically and in line with the event.
F.acT: Zuugle Services is known for developing solutions that promote sustainable behavior and actively shape the transition to low-emission forms of transport. How does Diana GreenConnect specifically contribute to this vision and how does it promote environmentally friendly, accessible and resource-saving mobility?
Martin Heppner: For me, the most vivid example is the often well-intentioned but unhelpful sentence "Please travel by public transport" that appears on event announcements. People who use public transport anyway are already doing so. But those who don't often don't know how. This is exactly where Diana GreenConnect comes in: We support this group by focusing on the entire travel planning process.
In addition to our suggestions, users can also choose earlier or later connections. Many also don't know where they can buy a ticket. That's why we are gradually integrating links to the ticket stores of the respective providers, in Austria for example to ÖBB and Westbahn. The hurdle for an environmentally friendly journey is thus kept as low as possible. If someone still decides to travel by car, there are other reasons for this.
F.acT: How exactly does Diana GreenConnect work and how is it ensured that the planning of green mobility is as convenient and uncomplicated as possible for the end user?
Martin Heppner: Our main consideration was to minimize the complexity for end users. We process most of the complex data in the background, behind our API. The remaining, manageable part has to be mastered by our customers themselves by configuring the widget. There are a variety of options, all of which are described in our documentation.
A few examples: For a theater play where visitors have to arrive at 7:00 pm, Diana is configured to only show connections that arrive at the theater before 7:00 pm. For a hotel whose reception is manned from 6:00 to 20:00, all connections arriving within this time window are displayed.
F.acT: The Diana GreenConnect widget works across countries in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and France. What technical or logistical challenges were involved in integrating data and systems from so many different countries to enable this broad coverage?
Martin Heppner: If you know how to go about it, integration is relatively easy - that applies to every topic. However, the ongoing effort is challenging, as the timetables in the various countries keep changing at different intervals. This requires continuous maintenance and updates to keep the data up to date.
F.acT: What specific added value does Diana GreenConnect offer event organizers and tourism businesses that integrate the application into their websites? How does it help them to make it easier for their customers to travel green?
Martin Heppner: Event organizers and tourism businesses practically pick up their customers from home with Diana GreenConnect and bring them back again. This allows them to take optimum care of their guests' well-being, which significantly increases customer satisfaction and also makes an important contribution to sustainability.
F.acT: Zuugle Services strives to develop "future-proof solutions" and is "ready for the challenges of tomorrow" in order to actively shape the transition to low-emission forms of transportation. What are the concrete plans and visions for the further development of Diana GreenConnect in the coming years in order to achieve these long-term goals?
Martin Heppner: We are continuously working on our prioritized product backlog. One long-term goal that we cannot achieve alone, however, is the integration of standardized ticket purchasing throughout the European Union as a new feature. This would be a decisive step towards making the use of sustainable mobility even easier. Until then, we will be incorporating one or two more features into Diana GreenConnect.