Clotilde Dumay, edited by Yanis Darras // Photo credit: Trevor Adeline / CAIA IMAGE / CAIA I / NEW / Science Photo Library via AFP 07:48, June 08, 2023

Every day, Europe 1 looks at an idea or a problem in your daily life. In Orléans, an on-demand shuttle service was launched five years ago. Since then, nearly 50,000 passengers use them every month. A simple and easy way to get around for these inhabitants far from public transport, without resorting to the car.

It is a booming mode of transport. On-demand shuttles are coming to our regions. Cheaper than taxi, more flexible than bus. For a few euros, you book your trip via an app. This valuable service, for residents far from city centres and public transport, is a great success in the Orléans region. Since the arrival of the shuttles 5 years ago, the number of trips made has increased from 3,000 to 50,000 per month.

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Intelligently grouped passengers

Among the faithful: Clémence, who returns from high school thanks to these mini-buses. "I take about fifteen minutes by shuttle to go to class. And when I can't take it, I take about an hour to get there," she told Europe 1. To reserve your place, simply go through an application where you enter "a departure and arrival address, the time and date," explains the teenager.

The algorithm is then responsible for grouping a maximum of passengers by offering the driver the most efficient route. And besides, just before dropping Clémence off, another user enters the shuttle. "I often take the shuttle because where I work, the bus does not go," she said.

Up to 20,000 people reconnected to public transport

This service costs about 3 million euros per year to the metropolis of Orleans, estimates Romain Roy, vice-president transport and mobility. But "it is something that is reasonable and fairly ecologically responsible," says the elected official. "We will also allow people not to buy back or not to have a vehicle at home. On-demand transport makes it possible to connect these 18 to 20,000 people who were not considered connected to public transport," he continues.

The 50 shuttles in circulation around Orleans are expected to carry 500,000 passengers this year.