Inclusive Travel SaaS product

Essex County Council has contracted a supplier to provide a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) digital solution to upgrade its current TravelEssex app (CO0391 Modernising Passenger Transport), which is due to go live Spring 2026. To integrate with this, the Council is seeking a software solution to further support its ambitions to make travel as inclusive and easy as possible around Greater Essex.

This is a preliminary market engagement exercise to help ECC understand the market capability and capacity, to identify potential software solutions that enables all users to access travel more inclusively and easily.

ECC's high-level requirements for the software solution must include the ability to:

• Deeply integrate with our TravelEssex digital platform, via an existing public API (Application Programming Interface), solution provided by the supplier offering live arrivals, disruptions, amenity status (e.g. lifts, escalators etc) across multiple modes of travel
• Provide visual and audible wayfinding and real-time information to users, via their smartphone, initiated by scanning a high-density code that is applied to infrastructure (e.g. bus shelters, bus stop, train stations and similar). The real-time feed would be provided by ECC for the supplier to ingest, in Siri SM/VM/SX formats.
• Feature parity is required between the standard and audio formats. Continuity between codes on a route must be seamless to the user and include options such as step-free access.
• Guidance to users must be in precise distances (feet/inches, metres/centimetres)
• The code must be capable of being read via a smartphone's in-built camera and optimised for instantaneous, long-distance scanning.
• The code must not require framing or focussing to scan it, ensuring readability from varied distances and wide viewing angles.
• If multiple codes are detected, the solution must ensure communication of all detected codes, allowing the user to make an informed selection.
• Be able to offer unlimited numbers of unique codes, including full deployment across current bus infrastructure estate (circa 8,000 locations) and options to add further locations over time.
• Application of the code needs to be durable, printable and easily integrated with current infrastructure.
• Offer automatic translation into the top 20 languages present in the UK
• Support cognitive accessibility by offering bold, large font readable text and visually augmented reality arrows and other design elements.
• Be able to create specific and tailored journey plans for Independent Travel Training users, that can be stored and re-used, per user.
• Real-time data reporting on usage and other relevant statistics. Reports to be configurable and self-serve.
• The system architecture should ideally exclude reliance on GPS, Bluetooth, or electronic beacon mechanisms to ensure standalone operability.