On November 13th, the cities of Lyon (Sytral) and Strasbourg (CTS) inaugurated with Padam Mobility their Demand-Responsive Transport services. Elected officials and companies already favor the service. The third and the eighth biggest cities in France are thus complementing and modernizing their public transportation networks. With an offer more finely tuned to the demand, tens of thousands of users are preparing to see their mobility improved.
Improving employees’ commuting
In Lyon, it is in the Mi-Plaine area, which includes 1375 companies and 20,000 employees among the municipalities of Chassieu, Genas and Saint-Priest, that the Sytral launched TCL on demand. This service is integrated into the existing network, with identical pricing. Padam Mobility is in charge of the Demand-Responsive Transport software (interfaces, management and reservation systems and algorithms) that makes this service effective.
Dynamic Demand-Responsive Transport is a concrete solution that addresses the mobility challenges in large areas. It allows us to refine the mesh of the network and better staple territories to ensure overall consistency. Our top priority is the accessibility of our network, in the broad sense of the word” says Fouziya Bouzerda, president of the Sytral.
Six nine-seater vehicles, powered by natural gas (NGV) from 2020 operated by transit operators Keolis Lyon and Berthelet. They now crisscross the Mi-Plaine area to complement the transportation offer. The companies that are located there are enthusiastic. Getting employees to this extended area was difficult. With the job market being so tense, it’s a breath of fresh air.
Opening up suburban and rural territories
In Strasbourg, Flex’hop Z1 covers 13 rural and peri-urban municipalities located in the West and South-West perimeter of the Eurometropolis. Padam Mobility’s Dynamic Demand-Responsive Transport service runs daily from 6:00 am to midnight. It is based on a mandatory reservation made from 15 days to 30 minutes before departure. With 80 stops, it offers more than 4000 itinerary possibilities to meet all travel needs.
This new innovative solution will offer a flexible, fast, ecological service tailored to the mobility needs of residents and employees in the less densely populated areas of the agglomeration. It will thus enable periphery-to-periphery connections which are currently difficult with the network of conventional bus lines” details Robert Hermann, President of the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg.
It is a high-quality service, at the same price as a normal ticket. The service works with electric vehicles that are accessible to people with reduced mobility. It is universal both in terms of time schedules and accessibility. The challenge is obviously to be competitive-attractive compared to the individual cars” adds Alain Fontanel, president of the CTS.
On the CTS Facebook page, a user is already enthusiastic:
It’s very good for peripheral municipalities. Especially for people with no means of transport! Well done for the initiative!
The eurometropolis has already announced its desire to extend the service, and eventually validate the DRT on all municipalities in the metropolis.
Meet the users of the Demand-Responsive Transport
