Kranj, Slovenia’s third largest city, aims to become the country’s first smart and climate-neutral city by 2030. Home to 57,171 residents (2023), it is transitioning to 90% renewable district heating, boosting solar output by 55,000 MWh, cutting car commuting by 30%, and reaching the “one car per household” target.
As traffic is one of the largest sources of air pollution in Kranj, the city is putting special effort into transitioning toward smart multimodal public transport. Daily commuting generates congestion in the city, reaching 20,000 vehicles per day at some entry roads. Like many smaller Slovenian cities, Kranj has a limited public transport offer, pushing citizens to rely heavily on private cars, the primary energy consumers in transport. Therefore, the overarching challenge in Kranj is to make public transport more accessible and attractive to the citizens, enabling a shift to more sustainable mobility habits.
To tackle this challenge, Kranj partnered with two other Slovenian Cities (Lubljana and Velenje) to implement a Pilot Activity, UP-SCALE-Urban Pioneers - Systemic Change Amid Liveable Environments. During the Pilot, Kranj developed a cloud-native mobility as a service (MaaS) module within the Smart Kranj platform, providing multimodal navigation options and nudging users toward more sustainable transport choices.
The backend uses OpenTripPlanner fed by weekly GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) downloads from Slovenia’s National Access Point and a street graph refreshed from OpenStreetMap. Additionally, GPS sensors were installed on local buses via the UP-SCALE project. However, due to limited data-sharing from the city’s transport concessionaire, integration with existing systems wasn’t possible. As an alternative solution, the city is now equipping buses with on-board computers to collect GPS data independently.
Collected data so far is being used to analyse and improve bus routes, stops and timetables. The app has undergone internal testing, and the city has already gathered data on users’ most searched routes and destinations, which will be fed back into both the app and broader transport planning processes.
The MaaS App offers the following innovative features:
- Inter-city routing across the national public transport network.
- Multimodal navigation: integrates walking, cycling, shared bikes, bus, and cars.
- Personalised routing: based on COâ‚‚ emissions, energy use, or shortest time.
- Environmental impact data: showing COâ‚‚ emissions and energy consumption for each option.
Real-time bus location providing live updates on arrival times is not yet included, but will be once new computers are installed and working.
Internal testing of the MaaS App has received positive feedback. Promotional activities, including participation in European Mobility Week 2024, alongside videos and exhibitions, have raised awareness and generated public interest. Although the full launch is pending, the pilot has already enhanced the city’s data-driven transport planning capacity. The solution is expected to significantly influence citizens’ travel behaviour and encourage a shift towards sustainable travel choices.
What were the key drivers of the initiative?
- Political commitment: Kranj is strategically aligned with the EU Cities Mission and national climate goals. At the core of this initiative is a clear intention to serve its citizens better: since the city provides public transportation, it recognises a responsibility to ensure it is efficient, attractive and accessible.
- Strong local vision: The pilot is part of Kranj’s broader Climate City Contract (CCC), a long-term strategic framework that outlines the city’s commitment to achieving climate neutrality. The MaaS pilot directly contributes to the CCC’s goals by addressing transport emissions, promoting behavioural change, and leveraging digital innovation to support a just and sustainable transition.
- Cross-sector collaboration: The initiative brings together municipal departments, technology providers, civil society, and research institutions. A key partner is the JoĹľef Stefan Institute, which contributes to data analysis and application development.
- Digital readiness and user engagement: The city’s existing digital infrastructure also played a vital role, since the prior development of the Smart Kranj platform facilitated the seamless integration of the MaaS app, which will be easily accessible via web and mobile. The platform also includes interactive features such as integrated questionnaires to collect real-time user feedback, enhancing user engagement and allowing the city to adapt services based on demand continuously.
- External funding: The external funding received from the NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme and Horizon Europe enabled experimentation with innovative solutions that would otherwise have been financially unfeasible.
What were the challenges and barriers?
- Data accessibility: The most significant barrier throughout the pilot was the lack of access to operational transport data. Although the city’s transport concessionaire initially claimed to have all the necessary data, it later refused to share it. Despite extensive efforts, no agreement was reached, which severely delayed progress and led the city to invest in on-board computers to collect GPS data independently.
- Technical complexity: The integration of multiple mobility modes and data sources posed technical challenges, especially with two companies involved: one managing the existing city platform and another developing the MaaS app. This dual setup added friction and slowed down coordination and deployment.
- Modal shift: The fact that cars are the default option for short trips in Slovenia reflects a strong car-oriented culture. Achieving modal shift is expected to be difficult in the early stages, as changing long-established habits takes time. Therefore, Kranj is using motivational messaging (e.g., KR brez avta (Kranj without a car) campaign), alongside practical incentives like umbrella giveaways. These are coordinated with national efforts and aligned with events like the European Mobility Week.
- Citizen engagement: Encouraging residents to change their behaviour and try new mobility options, especially in a smaller city like Kranj, requires sustained communication, trust-building, and motivation. The city is using surveys, video tutorials, exhibitions, and radio ads to inform and engage citizens.
Potential for Upscaling and Replication
Kranj is building on the success of the UP-SCALE pilot by integrating the MaaS App into a broader initiative called KReATIVE, under the “Enabling City Transformation (ECT)” programme. Moreover, the MaaS app is not a standalone tool but part of Kranj’s broader Smart City Platform, ensuring long-term maintenance and development through municipal funding. Additionally, Kranj is involved in a new project aimed at expanding the app’s functionalities to cover rail transport and extend its use to other cities like Ljubljana, further increasing its value and sustainability.
Recommendations for other cities willing to replicate or launch a similar initiative:
- Secure political support as a commitment to climate neutrality helps to mobilise resources and partners.
- Start small, begin with one domain (e.g. mobility).
- Invest in digital literacy.
- Fill data gaps and ensure access to data. As real-time data is essential, where missing, cities must invest in their own collection systems.
- Tailor messaging to the local context, as behavioural change is context-specific and habits vary across regions and cultures.
- Build partnerships and a learning ecosystem through feedback and peer exchange. Early collaboration with local authorities, technology partners, and frontline workers, such as bus drivers, is crucial.
Key lessons learned:
- Data foundation: reliable data underpins smart mobility.
- Local branding: campaigns increase awareness and pride; personalisation boosts effectiveness.
- Design inspiration: apps like CityMapper offer valuable design insights.
- Partnerships: success depends on early engagement with technology partners.
- Tailoring: solutions must match local demographics and needs.