How AI-Driven Enhancements Elevates Passenger Experience in Transport

It’s fair to say that the world is currently experiencing an unprecedented technological revolution, brought about through the new possibilities of AI. The rise of Generative AI, large language models, and other forms of machine learning have the potential to radically transform a swathe of modern industries — and the transport sector is one of them.

When it comes to the adoption of any new technology, the first people an enterprise should consider are their customers. It’s all very well to get excited about how AI will make life easier for those who work in the transport industry. But a more crucial question is: will this groundbreaking new tech actually improve the transport experience for travellers?

In this article, we aim to explore how AI-driven enhancements can make the passenger experience better, as well as exploring a few case studies showing how brands have already leveraged AI in transport. Read on to learn more.

AI Applications in the Transport Industry

As we can see, AI boasts a number of useful applications within the transport industry at large:

Customer Support

The integration of AI chatbots into the websites or travel apps of transport companies is an excellent way of making customer service faster and more efficient for busy commuters.

Generative AI can be used to deal with the FAQs of travellers, and can aid in managing large volumes of inquiries from the general public. In this way, the Generative AI can be used to filter out some of the simple problems that a number of customers might face; freeing up the workload for human customer service representatives to deal with trickier problems or queries.

AI can also be integrated into the booking experience, to help customers who might not be familiar with the complexities of booking tickets online complete their purchases.

Personalised Travel Suggestions

Another useful application of AI for passengers is in the realm of personalisation. By using AI and machine learning to sift through reams of customer data, the AI can curate an in-depth understanding of the frequent journeys made by individuals, and tailor their suggested journeys and marketing materials to them accordingly.

This personalisation, in turn, can help boost customer retention and loyalty, ensuring that the happy customers choose to stick with these brands down the line when they feel their needs are being seen and met by the brand.

Delay Predictions

Delays and cancellations are a regrettable yet often inevitable issue for transport companies, whether they deal with planes, trains, or automobiles. Delays are a major source of frustration for customers, but this negative response can be mitigated somewhat if transport brands are forthright and transparent about them.

In this way, AI can be used to continuously monitor relevant timetable information and provide a steady stream of real-time updates to travellers. This means that travellers can be informed about potential delays ahead of time, and even have AI travel assistants suggest alternative routes to help them get to their destination in the event of an emergency cancellation.

Driver Care

For transport companies that deal with hire cars, AI also boasts a high degree of utility when it comes to monitoring and looking after the vehicles hired by customers and the drivers themselves.

For example, intelligent systems can be used to monitor driver behavior and road conditions, keeping travellers safe during potentially hazardous journeys. These same systems can also leverage emotion recognition, computer vision, intelligent IoT sensors, synergised with AI tech, to identify issues that may pose potential traffic risks.

AI could even be integrated into cars to monitor the driver’s fatigue, sleepiness, eye movement, head position, and driving behavior to ensure that the traveller is driving in a safe and responsible manner.

Case Studies: AI in Transport

Now let’s take a look at a few transport companies who have already used AI to improve the travel experiences of their passengers.

BMW

The car manufacturer BMW already employs over 400 AI applications across its operational processes, some of which are designed to make the driving experience easier and safer for drivers themselves.

For example, BMW uses an AI-powered personal assistant, the so-called Intelligent Personal Assistant (IPA) in their cars to perform a multitude of tasks which react to the behaviour and journeys of their drivers and passengers. Drivers and riders can ask the IPA to verbalise the car’s functionality, the proposed route, or even instructions by voice command.

Wizz Air

The airline Wizz Air has also introduced its new virtual assistant, dubbed ‘Amelia’. This travel assistant is able to monitor potential flight disruptions and create innovative voice solutions that provide passengers with real-time updates on their flight, as well as helping customers with booking, baggage, and other relevant information.

United Airlines

Similarly, United Airlines has also introduced AI into its own customer services. By feeding these AI a wealth of meteorological data, the airline is able to provide its passengers with a steady stream of real-time weather updates to keep them informed about potential flight disruptions.

Access Cutting-Edge AI Tech With Future Platforms

As you can see, for travel companies that want to stay competitive and offer a positive experience for their passengers, integrating AI into your services is imperative. But what if you lack the technological know–how to get started embracing this new technology?

This is where working with a trusted and experienced partner, like Future Platforms, can be invaluable. Our team of experts will work with you to help you understand the intricacies of AI tech, and integrate it into your existing business model. So, if you’d like to know how we can help you get to grips with AI, then reach out and contact our team today.