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Why are the territories rushing to replace their demand-responsive transit systems?

on InnovationPublic Authorities by Padam Mobility
demand-responsive transit

Because dynamic demand-responsive transit is to DRT what the smartphone is to the landline phone: a solution that makes its ancestor outdated, thanks the combination of technology and intelligence, in line with the changing uses.

A cheaper and more accessible shared mobility solution

Historically linked to senior public and mobility impaired people, demand-responsive transit is now opened to all audiences. Leisure, studies, shopping, employment… Suitable to all territories and scales, dynamic demand-responsive transit offers new opportunities for communities:

  • Flexible and intelligent, dynamic DRT ensures a significant decrease in operating costs and carbon footprint.
  • More accessible, it guarantees social inclusiveness by addressing the issues of precariousness-mobility, mainly in peri-urban and rural areas, while being compatible with the transport of mobility impaired people.
  • In sync with mobility innovations, it saves time for people.

Despite its many advantages, DRT suffers from the image of the aged demand-responsive transit solutions deployed decades ago: heavy in terms of investment, long to deploy and complex to operate.

Technological advances, particularly the optimization of journeys in real time thanks to artificial intelligence, make it an extremely easy mobility solution to implement.

Demand-responsive transit: a simple and fast solution to deploy

Nowadays, thanks to technological innovations, new turnkey solutions are being developed to answer more effectively the needs of territories and users.

Unlike other systems, SaaS demand-responsive transit solutions simplify service implementation and ease day-to-day network management:

  • No installation is required on the computers. The acquisition cost is significantly reduced, as well as the cost of maintenance and updates.
  • These solutions offer great freedom of use, since they can be accessed from any connected device.
  • The tools are hosted on secured servers: maintenance and service guarantee are greatly improved
  • The needs of the territory covered define the functionalities to which users have access.

In addition, SaaS demand-responsive transit solutions do not involve any disruption for end users. Indeed, these tools can coexist with older systems, such as reservation centrals that access reservation interfaces. Users may also prefer a mobile application to book their trips. As for drivers, they can follow in real time the evolution of their journey via the application.

To determine the outlines of the best offer to deploy, some solutions provide simulation tools to study a given territory beforehand: number of vehicles, number of stops, service models, etc…

Depending on the customization required, the deployment of a SaaS demand-responsive transit tool last from 1 to 3 months. The data collected during operation help to improve the service permanently and to study new approaches to evolve the demand-responsive transit network.

Ready to give up your wire? Find out about Padam Mobility’s on-demand transport solutions here.

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Meet the users of the Demand Responsive Transport: Saint-Nom la-Bretèche

on InterviewPublic AuthoritiesTransit Operators by Padam Mobility
Demand-Responsive Transport: Saint-Nom

We keep focusing on Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche and its Demand-Responsive Transport network “TAD Ile-de-France Mobilités” (ex Flexigo Gally-Mauldre).

Our first ride on dynamic Demand-Responsive Transport from Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche train station takes us to the town hall square on which we meet Samir. Samir is one of the DRT drivers. His service is over and he was kind enough to give us a few minutes.

The service has positive reputation among the local residents as Saint-Nom-la Bretèche with no transportation was a very serious issue. The service also seduces non-residents for very different uses. It allows to mix all types of users and nationality, people are seeing each other more frequently than before.

For Quentin, 27, a young Parisian, passing through St-Nom-la-Bretèche and met a little later, the service is a real vector of social link.

We feel that there is a desire to connect people, to make them move together. The minibus is modern, the driver knows your name and you have to announce yourself when you get on. It gives the impression the driver knows personally the people he picks up.

Quentin uses the service for the first time:

It’s the friends I’m meeting at St-Nom-la-Bretèche who told me about it. They would have picked me up at the train station if the service didn’t exist. At least I don’t disturb and I preserve my autonomy. It is mind-blowing that the service is included in my Navigo pass. Even if I live in Paris, I would have liked to hear more about the service. There are zero ads, it might have motivated me to spend a little time in the outer suburbs, especially on weekends when the weather is good.

On the way back, we approach Christian, 52, working in St-Nom-la-Bretèche for several years and living in Mantes-la-Jolie. He testifies:

Without this service, I would have had to come much earlier to work. I spend almost the same travel time by car but at least I avoid the traffic jams and I save my gas. I can also avoid pollution because my car remains at home.

When we ask him what he thinks about the booking app, he confesses:

I’m not very comfortable with smartphones so I book my rides in advance by phone, usually for the whole week. It’s good they kept a phone number to call.

 

About TAD IDFM Gally-Mauldre
  • 11 towns served
  • Launched on January 2nd, 2018
  • Co-financed by Ile-de-France Mobilités and the Gally-Mauldre inter municipality
  • More than 250 trips / weekday
  • Operated by Transdev
  • 6000 trips / month
  • + 95% of bookings made via the mobile application
  • 95% of punctuality
  • The DRT service was set up to facilitate intermodality by allowing the inhabitants of the territory to access the train stations of Maule, Plaisir and Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche at peak hours without using their personal vehicle. The service also facilitates senior and non-motorized youth travels in the area by offering off-peak hours services during weekdays and Saturdays to cities of the inter municipality and train stations.

 

Read more (in French)

Meet other users of Dynamic Demand-Responsive Transport

 

To respect their anonymity, the first names of the interviewees have been modified.

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