TOMATE is testing the TOMP-API for the integration of mobility services into multimodal mobility platforms

From a patchwork of proprietary solutions to an open standard:

The digital integration of mobility services in Austria is characterized by heterogeneous, proprietary interfaces; according to platform operators, a “plug-and-play” solution is currently hardly realistic. High costs for implementation, maintenance, and servicing are hindering the digitization of sharing and on-demand services that complement public transportation within multimodal mobility platforms.
At the European level, the ITS Directive and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/1926 require the provision of machine-readable data, and through the European Mobility Data Space, the EU is pursuing the goals of interoperability and data sovereignty. The TOMP-API is being discussed as a potential integration standard – however, there is currently a lack of practical evidence, reliable success factors, cost-benefit analyses, and an Austria-specific implementation plan.

This is where TOMATE comes in:
The project analyzes, tests, and evaluates the TOMP-API, thereby providing the first systematic, Austria-specific pilot evidence. The focus is on a direct comparison of variants – proprietary integration versus direct TOMP-integration and TOMP-integration via an aggregator – the development of practical guidance, and, depending on the results, the development of lightweight API-adapters (proof of concept) to bridge proprietary interfaces.

In three real-world pilot projects, an on-demand service (Postbus Shuttle in wegfinder), a parking reservation service (WIPARK in WienMobil), and car-sharing roaming (carsharing.link as an aggregator) will be integrated and evaluated against a standardized set of KPIs in iterative build-test-review cycles.

The approach combines theory and practice:
The research partners ensure methodological quality and data analysis, while the practice partners provide realistic evidence on technology, organization, and cost-effectiveness. Gender equality indicators are fully integrated throughout the entire research design.
The intended outcomes include an implementation plan for Austria that outlines options, decision-making logic, and roll-out scenarios; a set of KPIs and a gap matrix; effort and cost benchmarks; governance recommendations; and insights from the adapter development process, made openly available for reuse. TOMATE thus provides a solid basis for decision-making for the federal government, the states, public transit authorities, and platform providers, and paves the way for a more efficient, climate-friendly, and user-friendly integration of digital mobility services.