Custom public transport software development
Appfront builds custom software for public transport and door-to-door transport: from timetabling and vehicle and staff scheduling to real-time travel information and passenger apps. For transport operators, concession holders and municipalities that organise Wmo, school or regional taxi transport, we create software that aligns with your concession requirements, processes and Dutch public transport standards such as BISON, NeTEx and SIRI.
What is public transport software?
Public transport software supports the entire process of planning and running transport services. It starts with the timetable, which lines run when, and extends to deploying vehicles and staff, processing real-time trip information for passengers and, for demand-responsive transport, accepting, combining and invoicing individual trip requests. It is the software behind the scenes that ensures passengers arrive at their destination on time.
Custom development often fits better here than an off-the-shelf package, because every concession, municipality and region has its own requirements. Eligibility and reimbursement rules for Wmo transport differ, trip-combining logic varies by provider, and integrations with existing systems don't work the same everywhere. With custom software you build exactly the functionality you need and stay flexible when the concession or regulations change, without paying for modules you don't use.
Appfront builds with modern, maintainable technology and respects the Dutch public transport standards managed by the BISON platform. We always first check whether existing interfaces and standards can be reused, and we tailor functionality and error handling to your actual transport processes, so the software grows with your concession and remains reliable, even under peak demand.
Timetabling & planning
From drawing up the timetable to vehicle and driver scheduling: which vehicles and drivers run which trips, taking into account driving and rest times, rolling stock and concession requirements.
Real-time travel information
Live departure times and disruptions flow from vehicle and planning systems to DRIS displays at stops and to passenger apps, aligned with the national travel information standards SIRI and NeTEx.
Specialised transport
Processing requests and eligibility decisions, combining trips intelligently, assigning vehicles and drivers, and settling afterwards. For Wmo transport, school transport and regional taxis, with portals for applicants, municipalities and transport providers.
Our development process for public transport software
We work to a proven methodology that removes uncertainty early and delivers stable software. From an initial analysis of your transport processes, concession requirements and existing systems through to go-live and ongoing maintenance, every step is aimed at software that your own team can understand and trust.
We map out your transport process: timetabling, scheduling, demand-responsive transport or passenger information, which concession requirements apply, and which systems and standards need to be integrated.
We design the architecture and user interface, choose the right interfaces and standards, and set out a strategy for data and error handling.
Implementation with automated tests, structured logging and monitoring. You see working versions along the way and steer the project based on them.
Controlled go-live with data validation and a safety net, followed by ongoing maintenance, monitoring and further development.
What public transport software concretely delivers
Every solution is tailored to your role in transport, your concession requirements and the systems it must integrate with. Below are the features we most often deliver for transport operators, concession holders and organisers of demand-responsive transport.
Timetabling & planning
Drawing up and managing the timetable, plus vehicle and driver scheduling: assigning vehicles and drivers to trips with attention to driving and rest times, rolling stock availability and concession requirements.
Trip planning & trip combining
For specialised transport: receiving individual trip requests, intelligently combining them into efficient trips and assigning them to vehicles and drivers. This makes better use of capacity and keeps journey times and costs under control.
Real-time trip information & DRIS
Processing live departure times and disruptions and passing them on to DRIS displays at stops and to passenger apps, aligned with the SIRI standard for dynamic data and the NeTEx profile for the static timetable.
Applications & eligibility
Portals where passengers, municipalities or schools request trips and eligibility for Wmo, school transport and regional taxi services. Requests are checked against entitlement and reimbursement rules and flow straight into scheduling.
Passenger app & travel information
An app or web portal with journey advice, live times and push notifications for changes. Where relevant, integrated with national passenger information, so travellers receive reliable and consistent information.
Reporting & accountability
Dashboards and exports for punctuality, trips, occupancy and costs, useful both for managing operations and for reporting to the concession authority or municipality. Includes the KPI reports agreed in your concession.
Who we build transport software for
Public transport software looks quite different from one organisation to another, depending on your role and concession. We regularly see a number of client types coming back, and for each we build software that fits their processes, regulations and existing systems.
Transport operators
Bus, tram and regional transport operators who want to support timetabling, vehicle and staff deployment and real-time passenger information with software that keeps pace with their fleet and network. Integrations with scheduling, vehicle systems and national passenger information via our API integrations.
Concession holders
Parties running a public transport concession who need software that supports the agreed requirements, from punctuality and occupancy reports to passenger information that follows the BISON interfaces. Software that simplifies accountability to the concession authority.
Special needs transport providers
Organisations that run Wmo transport, school transport or regional taxi services and want software for requests, trip grouping, planning and billing. See also our page on school transport software.
Municipalities & regions
Municipalities and collaborating regions that organise demand-responsive transport and want control over requests, trips, operators and costs. Pairs well with our software for municipalities and route planning software.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology we use
We build transport software on a modern web stack with integrations that suit your systems and the Dutch public transport standards. The precise choice depends on your role and concession, so your own team can manage or further develop the solution.
Why choose Appfront for your transport software?
Appfront builds custom software for a wide range of organisations in the Netherlands. We always start with a thorough analysis of your existing systems and processes. Software needs to be technically sound, but it also has to add practical value to your transport operations and concession requirements.
On every project we write clear documentation so that your own team, or any future supplier, can understand and manage the software. No black box, just transparent code and clear agreements on monitoring, alerting and maintenance.
You work with a dedicated point of contact who understands both the technical and the functional side. This keeps communication short, prevents misunderstandings and speeds up decisions when choices need to be made during development.
You may also be interested in our broader services around custom software, route planning software and the fleet management app for fleet management.
- Custom solutions tailored to your concession requirements and transport processes
- Familiar with the Dutch OV standards BISON, NeTEx and SIRI
- Experience with planning, trip grouping and travel information
- Secure by default: scoped permissions, encryption and audit logs
- Structured error handling and retry mechanisms
- Comprehensive logging and monitoring from day one
- Clear documentation your team can read and manage
- A fixed point of contact, no account managers passed around
- Ongoing maintenance and proactive further development
- A way of working aligned with your existing IT landscape
Security and privacy in transport software
Transport software handles personal data of passengers, demand-responsive transport eligibility and staff records, which is always sensitive information. Appfront builds to the OWASP ASVS. That means, among other things: secrets held in secure vaults, validated integrations, scoped permissions and regular audits of data flows.
For public sector clients, where applicable we take account of the Baseline Information Security for Government (BIO) and digital accessibility under WCAG. We document the data flows and integrations so your record of processing activities is complete and you can demonstrate compliance with the GDPR.
More on our security approach: information security policy and CVD policy.
- GDPR-compliant data processing and data minimisation
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Role-based access and least-privilege principles
- Audit logs with traceable data flows
- Automatic retries and dead-letter queues
- Monitoring and alerting for anomalies
- Secrets management in line with best practice
- Documentation for your record of processing activities
Frequently asked questions about public transport software
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about public transport and special transport software.
Public transport software is custom software that supports the planning and running of transport: drawing up a timetable, assigning vehicles and staff (circulation and rostering), processing real-time journey information for passengers (DRIS), and, for specialised passenger transport, accepting and combining trip requests. It may be software for a transport operator, a concession holder or a municipality that organises Wmo, school or regional taxi transport. Custom means the software is aligned with your concession requirements, processes and existing systems.
Off-the-shelf packages often cover the basics, but struggle with the specific requirements of a concession, municipal regulation or regional partnership. Think of deviating eligibility and reimbursement rules for Wmo transport, your own trip-combining logic, or integrations with systems that differ from region to region. Custom development lets you build exactly the functionality you need, without paying for modules you don't use, and keeps you flexible when the concession or regulations change. We always first check whether existing standards and interfaces can be reused before building anything new.
Yes. For travel information and data exchange in Dutch public transport, the BISON interfaces apply, managed by the platform BISON (Beheer Informatie Standaarden Openbaar Vervoer Nederland). For dynamic, real-time data they align with the European SIRI standard (EN 15531), and for static timetable data with the Dutch NeTEx profile. We build integrations that respect these standards, so your travel information remains interchangeable with national facilities and journey planners. Which interfaces are relevant in your case we determine together, based on your role and concession.
Yes. Specialised passenger transport (Wmo transport, school transport and regional taxi) has its own process chain: processing requests and eligibility assessments, planning and smartly combining trips to use vehicles efficiently, assigning drivers and vehicles, and settling accounts afterwards according to the agreed tariffs. We build software that supports this chain, including portals for applicants, municipalities and transport operators. For school transport specifically, we can refer you to our page on school transport software.
We process real-time journey information through integrations with vehicle and planning systems, so that up-to-date departure times and disruptions flow through to DRIS displays at stops and to passenger apps. A passenger app can include journey advice, live times, push notifications for changes and, where relevant, a digital ticket or payment flow. We build these with modern web and app technology and connect them, where relevant, to the national travel information standards, so that the information stays reliable and consistent.
In Dutch public transport, the OV-chipkaart is being replaced by OVpay, where passengers check in and out with a payment card, OV card, phone or smartwatch and no longer need to load a balance in advance. Custom software usually doesn't need to replace the payment system itself, but it must work well with it: think of administration, trip registration and reporting around fares. We agree per project which payment and ticketing components are relevant and how the software connects to them, without unnecessarily interfering with the national payment system.
Yes. Transport software processes personal data — think of passengers, eligibility details for special needs transport, and staff records — so privacy and security are central. Appfront builds according to OWASP guidelines and the GDPR: data minimisation, encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access and audit logs. For public-sector clients, we take the Baseline Information Security for Government (BIO) and digital accessibility under WCAG into account where applicable. We document the data flows so that your record of processing activities remains complete.
Yes. We regularly take over existing software, even when it was originally built by another party. We review the code, integrations and data flows, document the current set-up and propose improvements. From that point on, we can handle adjustments, extensions and monitoring, for example a new integration with a planning system, additional reporting for the concession, or a renewed passenger app, without you having to start again from scratch.
Ready to build your public transport software?
Tell us which part of your transport process you want to support — timetabling, planning, passenger information or special needs transport — and which systems and concession requirements need to be taken into account. We are happy to help shape the approach. Arrange a no-obligation first conversation via our contact form.