Public transport ambassadors: the world closer

It is becoming increasingly busy in and around Eindhoven. The public transport ambassadors project therefore tries to get more people to use public transport. And that is not only good for accessibility. It literally brings the city and the world closer for many people.

Not a building of books, but a building of people. That is the Eindhoven Library. 'And so we want to be accessible and accessible to all people,' says project leader Imke Claassen. 'But we see our role as broader than that: we also want to bring the city closer to people. Public transport is an ideal solution for this. That is why we are taking up the national public transport ambassador project in and around Eindhoven together with partners. The aim is to make public transport more accessible. And especially by helping people and letting them know how public transport works and how you can use it.'

Mobility strengthens self-reliance

The fact that the library is the project leader and executor of a project about public transport is more logical than it seems. 'If you have little or no ability to move around, your world literally becomes very small. And as a library we want to expand the world and bring it closer. We are much more than a book lender. We are also a public building, a warehouse for information, a study and work space and a developer of people. We help people to be self-reliant and that is more important than ever. Our innovation team is therefore always working on new products and services with which we can make a social impact. Mobility is part of this. Because if you are mobile you have many more opportunities for development and meeting. It contributes to your self-reliance and reduces or prevents loneliness. That is why this project suits us very well.'

Design thinking for results

The user is central to the project. 'Mobility is not self-evident for everyone. And we don't always know why not. That is why we work from design thinking in this project. Step by step we will discover how we can realize products or services that actually deliver results. Our first step is to discover which target groups we can make a difference to. And then we look at what they need. Does the public transport app help? Do people even know it is there? Does it make sense to use public transport buddies to guide people on their journey? Are workshops effective?'

Closer together

The Library is carrying out the project in Waalre and Eindhoven, in collaboration with the municipalities there. 'But there are many more parties involved. Such as NS, Hermes, the Muziekgebouw, Parktheater Eindhoven, KBO and Reizigersoverleg Brabant are participating. And Brainport Accessible. They help with their network and information. They have already established links with other parties, facilitated meetings to discuss initial ideas and have a lot of information about what is happening in the city and what users like or don't like. We gratefully take advantage of this to get the best possible picture of what is needed. With the aim of having a first product or service ready in September. In this way we work together to bring and keep the city and therefore the world closer.'