A wake-up call for public transport – Why refactoring is needed for the cloud to become a real lever
The migration of IT systems to the cloud is no longer a topic for the future in local public transport – it is reality. Many transport companies have already taken the step or are about to do so. The starting point is usually a clear objective: to move away from cost-intensive, maintenance-prone on-premise infrastructure toward greater flexibility and scalability.
But this is often where the misunderstanding lies: migration alone, especially as a pure “lift and shift,” is not a success – it is a beginning. And it can even create new risks and costs if the next step is not taken.
Lift & Shift – a strategic mistake without a follow-up strategy
At first glance, the cloud seems like the perfect solution. Pay-as-you-go, flexible scaling, modern security standards—it all sounds convincing. But simply moving existing monoliths and “old machines” to the cloud mainly just transfers their weaknesses to a new environment:
- High operating costs because traditional applications were not built for the dynamic resource allocation of the cloud.
- Complex management, as operational tasks remain unchanged.
- Lack of elasticity when rigid system architectures cannot leverage true cloud benefits.
This can be particularly costly in public transport, where high availability, real-time data, and complex integrations with interfaces to other service providers are necessary – both financially and operationally.
From our practice: References, use cases, and industry feedback
Learn more about how PROTOS is already supporting public transport in Germany.
- Blog: Digitalization in public transport requires IT infrastructure – otherwise, it will remain patchwork
- Use Case: Generative AI securely at work: automated ticket analysis in AWS Cloud
- Reference: Migration and optimization of a travel platform for the DB Regio Bus
Refactoring and service-oriented architectures
So what comes after migration? From our perspective: the actual step toward cloud native. And this begins with architectural refactoring.
Instead of continuing to think in terms of monolithic applications, new functions should be added in a modular and service-oriented manner. This approach offers decisive advantages:
- Specific further development of individual functional areas (e.g., ticketing, passenger information, resource planning)
- Increase in application security
- Dynamically scalable environments
- Automated deployments and operation
- Billing based on actual usage instead of permanent provision
- Minimization of administrative effort
Practical experience shows that the transformation to a cloud-native architecture is most successful when done incrementally. On a “greenfield” basis – i.e., for newly developed functions – we start with service-oriented architectures and rely on microservices such as containers and serverless services. Existing components are gradually broken down, decoupled, and transferred to modern structures.
A look at reality: examples specific to public transport
At PROTOS Technologie GmbH, we regularly support public transport companies – from medium-sized transport companies to large transport associations. The potential of service-oriented cloud solutions is particularly evident in the following areas:
- Real-time passenger information: Decoupled microservices for position data, forecasts, and display control enable lower latency and improved reliability.
- Resource planning: Cloud-native services can access current timetable data, staff availability, and vehicle status – in real time and with high availability..
- Ticketing and billing systems: Modularized backend environments enable flexible pricing models, faster integration of new payment methods, and audit-proof archiving.
- Communication with service providers and networks: APIs and standardized interfaces ensure scalable, secure interoperability between systems.
Conclusion: After migration comes transformation
Migrating to the cloud is undoubtedly an important and necessary step. However, the actual added value does not come solely from where an application is operated, but above all from how it is structured. Those who migrate existing systems to the cloud without making any changes will hardly benefit from the potential that modern cloud environments actually offer. Only architectural refactoring creates the conditions for applications to run more stably in the long term, be operated more cost-effectively, and at the same time be developed more quickly. This results in optimized operating costs, higher availability, and shorter development cycles – and thus genuine future viability for the entire IT landscape in public transport.
“My ‘wake-up call’ to IT decision-makers in public transport: Do not just plan a migration budget—plan a refactoring budget. Begin transforming your IT landscape now. The modular path to cloud-native architecture is not a sprint, but a strategic journey – one that pays off”, Karsten Quellec, CTO bei PROTOS.
