Sweden has become the first European country to adopt the OSDM standard. Credit: Shutterstock

Sweden has become the first country in Europe to use the OSDM online standard for public transport booking processes at a nationwide level with the launch of a National Distribution System (NDS) developed by Samtrafiken, allowing customers to book tickets from more than 50 Swedish rail and bus operators. 

The system, developed with Estonian travel technology company Turnit, connects users to several booking platforms from one central site, making it easier to plan journeys using services from several rail operators. 

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The NDS connects both bus and rail tickets from providers including Sweden’s national railway company SJ, Norway’s Vy Group, Arlanda Express, and MTRX and the country’s 21 independent regional public transport authorities. 

Turnit CEO Ülo Säre said: “Through close collaboration with our partners in the OSDM working group, outstanding leadership from Samtrafiken and remaining agile in our development plan as needed, we were able to successfully navigate the project’s complexities and achieve the objectives agreed with Samtrafiken.” 

Developed by the International Union of Railways, the Open Sales and Distribution Model (OSDM), provides an international standard for public transport booking platforms to encourage easier access for customers to book international train services. 

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A diagram explaining the Swedish NDS. Credit: Samtrafiken

Samtrafiken outlined four key components of its new NDS including use of a “data warehouse” to store ticket products, use of its TRAID sales tool allowing travel retailers to book journeys in a form suitable for them, a travel search for all saleable ground-based collective transport, and a central distribution hub. 

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The NDS will also incorporate Samtrafiken’s Resplus scheme, which has provided a joint single ticket for rail, coach, bus, ferry, tram and metro services in Sweden for 20 years, allowing customers to be automatically rebooked on a service if they miss a leg of their journey.

Turnit has previously worked with organisations around the world including Transport for New South Wales, which hired the company to create a new customer booking system in July 2023.