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Our trainee tested the Plus de Pep’s DRT: here’s what she thinks about it

DRT plus

Our trainee tested the Plus de Pep’s DRT service in Paris region: here’s what she thinks about it! Eva, 19 years old, marketing trainee at Padam Mobility for 5 months, tells her first experience with Demand-Responsive Transport.

“I’ve been living in Paris for 2 months now, and it’s really a change from Rennes or the town where my parents live, in Brittany. Here, I take the metro every day and recently I was able to test the Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) for the first time on the Plus de Pep’s service in Chessy-Marne-la-Vallée.”

“Before I was doing my internship at Padam Mobility, I had no idea about Demand-Responsive Transport. The first time I heard about it, I immediately thought of a vehicle for hire service. I quickly understood it was (most often) a public minibus service that had to be booked on an application to get around.”

“To book my trip, I used the Plus de Pep’s app on iOS. I found it simple and fluid to use, it only took me a few minutes to book my trip from Chessy to the Lagny Thorigny train station. I received a validation message to confirm my booking and that was it! 10 minutes before the proposed pick-up time, I went to the location indicated on the map in the app. At first, I had a hard time finding the right location, so I waited for the bus to show up on the map and went to meet it when it arrived. The driver gave me a warm welcome. He was on time. He was very kind by indicating his presence to a few latecomers who couldn’t find his location either. I have been struck (in a good way) by the human contact during pick up”.

“I felt privileged, compared to the classic bus or the metro. I felt like I had access to a service that was there just for me.”

“When I got in the minibus, I noticed the sanitary rules against Covid19 were respected: hydroalcoholic gel was provided, prevention posters, plexiglas separating the driver from the users. Every second seat was condemned in order to guarantee social distancing. The trip lasted about thirty minutes. We passed through several small villages and hamlets, I was very surprised because we were only one hour from Paris. Once we arrived at the Lagny-Thorigny train station, the driver opened the door to the other passengers and myself, wishing to see us again on his service. Class!”

“Thanks to the DRT, I was able to cross small towns and cities that don’t necessarily have direct or easy access to Paris. I thought it was an ideal solution for quick and inexpensive excursions in the Paris countryside. For me, the big advantage is that the service is included in my traveler card!”

“In conclusion, I found the service pleasant and secure, the interaction with the driver was a real plus and my minibus was punctual. I didn’t have any imperative, but it reassured me the service was reliable, especially since I had to take a train ride.”

“In the 900-inhabitant- town where I grew up in Brittany, daily travels are impossible without using a car: no buses, shuttles, DRTs or even taxis are offered. Without a driving licence, it was very frustrating for me not to be able to go to bigger cities like Saint-Malo, Dinan, Dinard or Rennes, even though they were close by. A DRT service would have been very useful for me and my parents who had to take taxis veeeeery often.”