Use Case: Demand Responsive Traffic (DRT)

In this chapter:

• Overview
• Modelling Principles
• Line and LineType
• Booking and Rules on the Line
• BookingArrangement
• ServiceBookingArrangement
• ServiceCompetitiveCondition
• ServiceEligibilityCondition
• FlexibleServiceProperties
• Request Stops
• Reservation as Service Facility
• Collection Points
• Templates and Examples
• Open Points

Overview

Demand responsive traffic (DRT, German: On-Demand-Verkehr, ODV) covers services that only run, or only serve some stops, when passengers have booked or requested them.

The Swiss DRT types and their LineType are defined in the sheet LineType of the mapping table for NeTEx 2.0:

Table: Swiss DRT types

Modelling Principles

A DRT offer is delivered with the same frames and elements as any other timetable. The flexibility is expressed in these places:

• Line: every DRT service is a Line in the ServiceFrame with the LineType of its Swiss DRT type and BusSubmode demandAndResponseBus, see Line and LineType.
• Line/bookingArrangements: holds the booking conditions and the rules of the service, see Booking and Rules on the Line.
• ServiceJourney: a single on-demand journey has FlexibleServiceProperties referencing the BookingArrangement of the Line (example 04), see FlexibleServiceProperties.
• StopPointInJourneyPattern: a request stop has RequestStop true and a request method; a flexible stop references the BookingArrangement, see Request Stops.
• ServiceFacilitySet and Notice: reservation offers from HRDF are delivered as facility and Notice, see Reservation as Service Facility.

Line replaces FlexibleLine (forbidden in the ServiceFrame template), and LineType replaces TypeOfFlexibleService (mapping table, sheet LineType).

classDiagram
    %% Styles
    classDef frame fill:#FFF8E1,stroke:#FFB300
    classDef contained fill:#E8F4FF,stroke:#1E90FF
    classDef external fill:#F6F6F6,stroke:#AAAAAA

    %% Frames
    class ServiceFrame:::frame {
        lines : Line[]
        journeyPatterns : ServiceJourneyPattern[]
    }
    class TimetableFrame:::frame {
        vehicleJourneys : ServiceJourney[]
    }

    %% Contained elements
    class Line:::contained {
        LineType
        TransportSubmode
        bookingArrangements
    }
    class BookingArrangement:::contained {
        BookingMethods
        BookWhen
        MinimumBookingPeriod
        bookingUrls
        BookingNote
    }
    class ServiceBookingArrangement:::contained {
        BookingChargeType
        DepositRequired
    }
    class ServiceCompetitiveCondition:::contained {
        DistanceFromClassical
        TemporalDistanceFromClassical
        InterchangeWithConventionalServicesAllowed
    }
    class ServiceEligibilityCondition:::contained {
        UserProfile
        ResidentialQualification
    }
    class ServiceJourneyPattern:::contained {
        pointsInSequence
    }
    class StopPointInJourneyPattern:::contained {
        ForBoarding
        ForAlighting
        RequestStop
        bookingArrangements
    }
    class ServiceJourney:::contained {
        ServiceJourneyPatternRef
        FlexibleServiceProperties
    }
    class FlexibleServiceProperties:::contained {
        FlexibleServiceType
        bookingArrangements
    }

    %% Containment relations
    ServiceFrame "1" o-- "0..*" Line : contains
    ServiceFrame "1" o-- "0..*" ServiceJourneyPattern : contains
    TimetableFrame "1" o-- "0..*" ServiceJourney : contains
    Line "1" o-- "0..*" BookingArrangement : contains
    Line "1" o-- "0..*" ServiceBookingArrangement : contains
    Line "1" o-- "0..*" ServiceCompetitiveCondition : contains
    Line "1" o-- "0..*" ServiceEligibilityCondition : contains
    ServiceJourneyPattern "1" o-- "1..*" StopPointInJourneyPattern : contains
    ServiceJourney "1" o-- "0..1" FlexibleServiceProperties : contains

    %% Foreign Key relations
    ServiceJourney "0..*" -- "1" ServiceJourneyPattern : references
    FlexibleServiceProperties "0..*" -- "0..*" BookingArrangement : references
    StopPointInJourneyPattern "0..*" -- "0..*" BookingArrangement : references

Figure: Elements used for DRT

Line and LineType

→ Glossary definition

Purpose

General rules for Line are in Service Frame. LineType is expected (Line template); its values are defined in the mapping table.

Usage Notes

• A DRT line gets the LineType of its Swiss DRT type (see Overview) and BusSubmode demandAndResponseBus.
• fixed is the default for all non-DRT lines. If LineType is omitted, fixed is assumed.
• The values mainRouteWithFlexibleEnds, flexibleAreasOnly, hailAndRideSections, fixedStopAreaWide and mixedFlexible are not used in the Swiss profile.

Example

<Line id="ch:1:slnid:1026470" version="1" responsibilitySetRef="ch:1:ResponsibilitySet:BLT">
  <!-- ... -->
  <TransportMode>bus</TransportMode>
  <TransportSubmode>
    <BusSubmode>demandAndResponseBus</BusSubmode>
  </TransportSubmode>
  <!-- ... -->
  <LineType>flexible</LineType>
  <TypeOfProductCategoryRef ref="ch:1:TypeOfProductCategory:B" version="1"/>
  <bookingArrangements>
    <BookingArrangement id="ch:blt:generated:BOOK:29013" version="1">
      <BookingMethods>mobileApp</BookingMethods>
      <BookWhen>advanceOnly</BookWhen>
      <BookingNote>Einstieg nur auf Voranmeldung mind. 30 Min. vor der Fahrt.</BookingNote>
    </BookingArrangement>
  </bookingArrangements>
</Line>

Booking and Rules on the Line

Purpose

Line/bookingArrangements holds four kinds of elements:

Table: Elements in Line/bookingArrangements

Usage Notes

• Several ServiceEligibilityConditions are combined with OR (e.g. “senior or child”). This may require splitting a service.
• FlexibleServiceProperties and StopPointInJourneyPattern can only reference a BookingArrangement. ServiceBookingArrangement, ServiceCompetitiveCondition and ServiceEligibilityCondition are only possible in Line/bookingArrangements.

BookingArrangement

Purpose

Describes how, when and where a DRT service is booked.

Table: Elements of BookingArrangement

BookingServiceType: tomp, osdm, bob, trias, ojp, other. SupportedSteps (list): tripPlanning, pricing, availability, booking, reservation, fulfillment, full, other.

Usage Notes

• From the HRDF conversion only a BookingNote can be passed at the moment. With native NeTEx handling more information can be transferred (ServiceJourneyPattern template).
• In a ServiceJourneyPattern, the BookingArrangement is referenced with BookingArrangementRef; an inline BookingArrangement is ignored.

ServiceBookingArrangement

Purpose

Contains the elements of BookingArrangement and additionally MinimumBookingDuration, MaximumBookingDuration, DepositRequired and BookingChargeType (fullAmount, blockFullAmountOnCard, deposit, none, other).

ServiceCompetitiveCondition

Purpose

Describes restrictions of the DRT service towards classical public transport. It contains either the competition parameters or the two interchange flags.

Table: Elements of ServiceCompetitiveCondition

Example

<ServiceCompetitiveCondition id="ch:1:ServiceCompetitiveCondition:1" version="1">
  <DistanceFromClassical>200</DistanceFromClassical>
  <TemporalDistanceFromClassical>PT15M</TemporalDistanceFromClassical>
</ServiceCompetitiveCondition>

ServiceEligibilityCondition

Purpose

Describes who can use the service. Each condition contains exactly one of UserProfile, CommercialProfile, ResidentialQualification or CompanionProfile.

Example

<ServiceEligibilityCondition id="ch:1:ServiceEligibilityCondition:1" version="1">
  <UserProfile id="ch:1:UserProfile:1" version="1">
    <MinimumAge>65</MinimumAge>
  </UserProfile>
</ServiceEligibilityCondition>

FlexibleServiceProperties

→ Glossary definition

Purpose

Additional characteristics of a flexible service on a single ServiceJourney; a service may be partly fixed, partly flexible. Elements: FlexibleServiceType (dynamicPassingTimes, fixedHeadwayFrequency, fixedPassingTimes, notFlexible, other), CancellationPossible, ChangeOfTimePossible and bookingArrangements.

Example

From example 04:

<ServiceJourney id="ch:blt:generated:SJ:29013:ODV" version="1" responsibilitySetRef="ch:1:ResponsibilitySet:BLT">
  <!-- ... -->
  <FlexibleServiceProperties id="ch:blt:generated:FSP:SJ:29013:ODV" version="1">
    <bookingArrangements>
      <BookingArrangementRef ref="ch:blt:generated:BOOK:29013" version="1"/>
    </bookingArrangements>
  </FlexibleServiceProperties>
</ServiceJourney>

Request Stops

Purpose

Request stops are set in the StopPointInJourneyPattern (see Service Frame). The mapping from HRDF is defined in the sheet Haltecode of the mapping table:

Table: Request stops (Bedarfshalt, HRDF *A X)

Usage Notes

• StopUse is access, at stations with BHFArt 3 interchangeOnly.
• A flexible stop references the BookingArrangement with BookingArrangementRef (ServiceJourneyPattern template).

Reservation as Service Facility

Reservation offers from HRDF are delivered as ServiceFacilitySet and, where defined, as Notice (sheet Angebote of the mapping table, see also Service Facilities). Examples:

Table: Reservation offers relevant for DRT

Collection Points

Collection points are described with StopPlaceType (Decision 2026-06-30, “namentlich für drt:collectionPoint”). The ResourceFrame contains the ValueSet ch:1:ValueSet:TypesOfPlace with the TypeOfPlaces drtCollectionPoint and regularStop (ResourceFrame template, Resource Frame).

Templates and Examples

Table: Templates relevant for DRT

Table: Examples relevant for DRT

Further Swiss DRT examples are in the NeTEx repository under examples/functions/drt/.