close

The Orléans metropolis expands its on-demand network Résa’Tao to four additional zones

Résa'Tao

Padam Mobility, Orléans Métropole and Keolis Métropole Orléans are expanding their on-demand service Résa’Tao. With four newly designed zones and a fleet of 39 vehicles, TAO Orléans Métropole is thus positioning itself as one of the most innovative and advanced networks in France in the field of on-demand transport.

Padam Mobility and Orléans Métropole have already been partners since 2018, enabling nearly 10,000 on-demand trips per month with the Résa’Tao service operated by Keolis Métropole Orléans. The French metropolis and the transport service provider rely on Padam Mobility’s algorithms to optimise the operation and cost of their on-demand service.

As passenger numbers and customer satisfaction have been consistently strong over the past three years of operation, Orléans Métropole decided to expand the service to four new, redesigned zones and to increase the fleet from about 20 to nearly 40 vehicles, some of which are powered by electricity.

Aiming for 250,000 on-demand trips in 2022

Launched in 2018, Orléans Métropole’s on-demand service, Resa’Tao, was gradually extended to other areas of the city, covering nine areas in 2021 with a fleet of more than 19 vehicles. Technical adjustments made by Padam Mobility, such as the optimisation of routes, the extension of service times, and the flexibilisation of last-minute reservations, enabled the service’s usage rate to gradually increase threefold between 2018 and 2021.

Due to these positive developments, both in terms of passenger numbers (more than 250,000 bookings since its launch) and user satisfaction (average rating of 4.7/5), Orléans Métropole has decided to extend the service on 3 January 2022 to four additional, newly designed zones, where around 40 vehicles will operate seven days a week. With this expansion, most residents of the sparsely populated urban areas of Orléans will be able to depart from a stop just a few metres from their home without having to pay a surcharge. Orléans Métropole thus hopes to increase ridership and reach 250,000 trips in 2022, compared to more than 100,000 in 2021.

A service that aims to connect 100% of users to the existing transport offer

Orléans Métropole’s on-demand service Résa’Tao now covers four new large-scale zones (previously there were nine smaller ones). The North, South, East and West zones were designed in such a way as to meet the mobility needs of the communities outside the city centre. To enable as many travel requests as possible, the availability of the service has been increased and connections to the main public transport lines in Orléans (trams and buses) have been simplified.

Furthermore, the service actively promotes reintegration into the labour market. Keolis Métropole Orléans contracts a labour market reintegration company to operate the on-demand driving service.

Users of the RésaTao service can book their ride for free by phone, online or via a dedicated app several weeks in advance or up to five minutes before their departure. A minibus picks them up at a predefined bus stop and takes them to their destination – seven days a week and from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm.

We feel that we are better investing taxpayers’ money, especially since the strategy of Orléans Métropole is not to gain economic advantages but to provide a better service. On-demand transport, as an innovative solution, it not only complements the traditional service, but goes one step further by connecting 100% of the metropolis’ inhabitants to the public network…” Romain Roy, Vice-President of Orléans Métropole, responsible for transport and traffic

Development of the Orléans metropolitan region’s DRT service Resa’Tao between 2018 and 2022

Résa'Tao

Padam Mobility’s algorithms supporting shared and optimised mobility

Padam Mobility offers transport-on-demand solutions based on algorithms to optimise routes and vehicle utilisation. The mobility offer is smarter, more flexible and more dynamic. It is no longer based on fixed routes and timetables, but on-demand and is constantly optimised based on (real-time) bookings. In the course of a trip, several users are grouped together in one vehicle, with the driver adapting his route in line with the bookings. The schedule chosen by the users is always guaranteed.

 

About Padam Mobility, a subsidiary of Siemens Mobility

Since 2014, Padam Mobility has been developing digital solutions for dynamic demand-responsive public transport (on-demand systems and paratransit) to transform peri-urban and rural areas and bring communities closer together. For this purpose, the company offers a software suite of smart and flexible solutions that improve the effectiveness of mobility interventions for all target groups in low-demand areas and bring users, operators and communities on the move! The software suite is based on powerful algorithms and artificial intelligence.

In 2021, Padam Mobility became part of the Siemens Group and supplements its portfolio of digital transport and mobility solutions.

 

This article might interest you as well: Interview with Roman Roy, Vice-President of Orléans Métropole