The mobility sector is evolving rapidly, and modern travelers expect real-time transport information, on-demand services, and multimodal solutions. To deliver flexible, data-driven mobility services, a comprehensive transformation of the legacy IT infrastructure was required. With the support of development teams from NetRom Software, the legacy environment was modernized, enabling the introduction of new and innovative services. This case demonstrates how expanding development capacity has strengthened Transdev’s position as an innovation leader.
Transdev is an international mobility provider and is known in the Netherlands for brands such as Connexxion, Hermes, and Witte Kruis. The company delivers public transport, contract transport, and ambulance services. Globally, the group employs 83,000 people across 17 countries and operates approximately 11 million passenger journeys per day.
Jochem Beek explained that Transdev was dealing with outdated technology and organizational silos that hindered rapid innovation: “Our organization was heavily impacted by legacy systems. Over the past 25 years, Connexxion has developed many custom applications in languages such as Pascal and Delphi. We wanted to consolidate all development activities with a single partner.”
Public transport and contract transport operated as two strictly separated domains. Beek emphasized: “Bringing these two together has clear strategic value. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bus routes became less profitable, making alternative transport solutions during off-peak hours more relevant.”
The ability to innovate is also a competitive advantage in tender processes. As Beek noted: “The ability to respond quickly is a key advantage. To move fast, you need to rapidly bring together the right knowledge and technology.”
‘When we win a tender, NetRom Software is able to scale with us.’’
JOCHEM BEEK, HEAD OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT at tRANSDEV
Transdev sought a partner for platform development, applications, and the modernization of legacy systems, with expertise in both legacy and modern technologies. The company selected NetRom Software. Jochem Beek explained: “We started modestly with a small group of developers. We now allocate capacity dynamically across multiple development programs. Our collaboration mainly focuses on applications, back-end systems, and ticketing platforms.”
On a monthly basis, Beek and NetRom Software review priorities and upcoming tenders. “We focus on time rather than cost. The key question is: how quickly can we deliver a minimum viable product (MVP)?” All new development is carried out in .NET, with NetRom Software playing a key role in establishing and maintaining development standards.
“When we win a tender, NetRom Software is able to scale with us,” Beek added. “The ability to scale up and down quickly is essential. It is a form of mutual commitment: when one side moves, the other needs to respond accordingly.”
In addition to development capacity, Transdev also leverages QA (quality assurance) services from NetRom Software. “The QA specialists are critical and provide active feedback. Team members tend to stay long-term, which ensures continuity and knowledge retention,” Beek noted. “This allows us to focus on innovation, while NetRom Software handles the technical implementation.”
The collaboration has strengthened Transdev’s position as a leader in innovation within public transport. Jochem Beek stated: “The main benefit lies in becoming more data-driven. We aim to predict demand and adjust our services accordingly, using real-time data from our fleet—across organizational silos. This allows us to bridge the gap between traditional public transport and demand-driven mobility solutions. NetRom Software will play an important role in this.”
The products developed by Transdev are increasingly being adopted by other organizations in the sector. NetRom Software now also provides IT support for these products. Beek added: “This creates a direct connection between customers and the development team, enabling quick issue resolution. In the case of a P1 or P2 incident (high-priority issues), we can respond immediately.”
Discover how NetRom, together with Transdev, transformed a legacy IT environment into a data-driven mobility platform
