On-demand public transport services

Summary

Brescia has experimented with introducing an on-demand public transport service to provide more convenient transport options during low-peak traffic periods and streamlining resources at the same time.

Implementing sustainable mobility

This measure foresaw the launch of an 'on-demand transport system' suitable for no-peak public transport demand, taking into account the needs of the most vulnerable users. The existing on-demand service, Accabus, is a manual system dedicated to disabled people, one that is not capable of optimising resources efficiently. In order to implement a more efficient on-demand service, Brescia Trasporti (the public transport company in Brescia) developed a solution that allows more transport flexibility and trip optimisation.

The new system aimed to minimise the number of busses, reduce travel time, and adopt new software to manage operations and optimise trips, in addition to reducing fuel consumption. This would increase shared journeys by up to 20% and the number of shared passengers by up to 25%, optimising booking procedure of the service as well.

Progress

The measure consisted of several actions. To begin with, a new initiative targeted vulnerable on-demand users investigation through the Brindo con Prudenza project. This entailed a dedicated on-demand bus service aimed at young people so that they could avoid using their cars at night during weekends. The project however proved unsuccessful as no one embarked on the initiative.

On another front Benchmarking research was carried out on different on-demand software programmes used in Italy, and the Powersoft software was selected as the most suitable for Brescia's on-demand service. The software needed to be customised for the Accabus service according to BST's specific requirements. However, during the customisation process and testing phase several obstacles emerged that Powersoft could not find a solution for. Therefore, the personalisation of the software was not accomplished and this activity was discontinued.

Outcomes

There was no impact of the measure on the city. The Brindo con Prudenza project did not register subscribers and the software purchased for on-demand service was not suitable for Accabus.