RATP Dev launches on-demand commuter minibus services

RATP Dev and Padam, a French start-up, have signed a partnership agreement to provide new mobility services for passengers and local governments.

As part of this partnership, RATP Dev and Padam have developed a customised minibus transport service for commuters travelling to and from work.

Utilising a mobile app developed by Padam, users can reserve a commute for a time which suits them best. The app suggests a meeting point, and calculates in real time the optimal itinerary for the minibus to get to the specified destination, while integrating requests from other passengers that also want to travel in the same direction.

Prices are agreed ahead of travel and are based on the direct distance from the starting point to the destination.

Initially, the service has been developed under the Slide brand for the city of Bristol, where it launched at the end of July.

Padam said it has developed algorithms capable of optimising the use of a fleet of vehicles circulating in a given area in real time and according to demand. It has also developed its own mobile apps and is relying on its knowledge of commuters, acquired through Padam Daily – a service to help commuters get to and from work in the Ile-de-France region.

The Slide service in Bristol operates between 0730 and 0930hrs, and again between 1600 and 1900hrs.An example fare which the company told to the Bristol Post for £5 for a seven mile journey.

RATP Dev UK Chief Executive, Tim Jackson, said: “Knowing that Bristol was one of the most congested cities in the UK, we wanted to develop an alternative bespoke solution.”

Bristol City Council’s Transport Leader, Mark Bradshaw, said: “Our city faces considerable challenges with congestion due to a high proportion of cars moving through the limited space available in our narrow, complex streets.

“We must create viable, greener alternatives for commuters to try out which is why I’m pleased to see RATP Dev launch Slide today in Bristol.”