- Movia Trafik’s new On-Demand Service “Nærbus” officially launches on April 8, 2024, and will replace three fixed, underutilised bus lines.
- Users can book the service on weekdays as needed from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm.
- The “Nærbus” currently covers 108 stops and operates without a fixed schedule, meaning its route is determined solely based on current bookings.
- Faxe is a municipality consisting of the middle-sized towns Haslev and Rønnede, with a total population of approximately 35,117 residents spread over an area of 405 km².
To provide residents of the rural Faxe municipality with a better alternative to private cars and to optimise the existing public transportation network, the Danish transport authority Movia Trafik, in collaboration with Padam Mobility, has developed a new demand-responsive mobility service.
Named “Nærbus”, the service aims to enable residents in and around Haslev to reach desired destinations within the area more easily and quickly. In particular, the service aims to simplify access to long-distance travel, especially considering that 25% of Faxe residents commute over 50 km daily to their workplaces. Therefore, the connection to the local train station, linking people to larger cities like Køge and Copenhagen, is essential to provide a comprehensive and attractive transportation alternative.
The “Nærbus” operates in a free-floating configuration, meaning its route is determined by current bookings, allowing users to be taken directly to their desired destinations. Additional users with similar destinations can join along the way, with the travel time only varying within the specified time frame. This not only prevents the driver from stopping at stops where no passengers want to board or alight but also enables travel routes to be covered almost as quickly as with a private car.
Padam Mobility will support Movia Trafik throughout the project to ensure the best user experience for all passengers. This includes extensive planning and simulations before the start of the project as well as ongoing monitoring and analysis of the generated service data, which enables a precise evaluation of the network and, if necessary, adjustments to the service.
The “Nærbus” can be booked via app, phone, or a booking website. Additionally, the service is partially integrated into the national trip planner “Rejseplanen”. Users who already use Rejseplanen can easily access the On-Demand Service within the app to plan and search for Nærbus trips and book via the whitelabeled Nærbus app.
The integration into the Rejseplanen app marks an important development step for “Mobility as a Service” in Denmark. Users receive all the essential information for a seamless journey, including current traffic information, ticket prices, transport options, etc., all in one application. The collaboration with Padam Mobility gives Movia Trafik a strong partner to incorporate on-demand services into its existing offering and to expand its service to other regions in Denmark.
This article might interest you as well: Padam Mobility launches “Buss On Demand” for Swedish Public Authority Västtrafik
