This is an excerpt of an article written by Martin von Willebrand and Henri Tanskanen (link to article has been removed as inactive after publication of this text), published in Expert Guides on 27 February 2017.
The Government of Finland has in late 2016 proposed to enact a new Transport Code, an ambitious plan to round up and overhaul various pieces of legislation covering passenger transport from taxis to public transportation as well as parcel and cargo logistics on the roads. The first phase is planned to enter into force after a transition period on 1 July 2018. In a second phase to follow, the new Transport Code is planned to be complemented with provisions regarding air, sea and rail transport.
At the crux of the initiative is the digitalization and opening of transport market data. Incumbents as well as new entrants will be obliged to offer their data via open interfaces in an interoperable way for free use. In the case of passenger transport, the data would have to contain, at minimum, data on routes, stops, timetables, prices, availability and accessibility. Also computerized access to ticket sales and payment system interfaces is mandated. In the future, the scope of these requirements could be flexibly extended to other data as well, such as real-time data on the movement of the transport vehicle on its route. […]
