So-called “on-demand” public transportation is gaining popularity in Quebec. After Gatineau, Richelieu and the outskirts of Montreal, it is the turn of Saguenay to adopt this different way of getting around the city.
The principle is quite simple. You record the journey you want to take on an app, and the bus will pick you up at the stop closest to you at the requested time. Since your neighbors are doing the same thing, an algorithm optimizes the bus route based on orders. This approach halfway between the taxi and the traditional bus will officially enter three districts of Saguenay this summer, we learned THE Duty.
Frédéric Michel, general manager of the Saguenay transport company (STS), confirms the upcoming improvements. The neighborhoods of La Baie, Jonquière and Chicoutimi-Nord will be served by these “buses without a route, without a fixed line, without a schedule”.
“We were walking around with buses without anyone inside. It has costs and environmental impacts too. That motivated our transition,” he explains.
His team will transform fixed lines into flexible lines, mainly evenings and weekends. On weekday mornings, “there is too much traffic,” so landlines will continue to transport customers. On-demand transport must necessarily coexist with traditional transport, because it is “a model that works when ridership is low. » Beyond ten passengers at the same time on the bus, the system can no longer “absorb” the demand, and the delays become less and less attractive.
We were walking around with buses without anyone inside. It has costs and environmental impacts too. This motivated our transition.
“You can book 25 minutes in advance, 7 days in advance, as many departures as you want. You choose either the arrival time or the departure time. We cannot choose both at the same time,” explains Frédéric Michel.
Users will respond, believes the STS. A pilot project established last year in the La Baie sector caused an increase in traffic of between 3% and 11% per month. “It was a sector in decline since these years before the pandemic,” notes Mr. Michel. The saving for the STS is also substantial. It costs 11.5% less to run “essentially the same service”. Full details of the new service will be made public on July 4.
Two new cities in the Montreal crown
The STS is not the only one to confirm the implementation of the service these days. Exo indicated at the start of the year that its flexible route buses would become permanent in Beloeil and McMasterville. A similar pilot project is also underway in Terrebonne, and the decision to continue it or not will be known next year.
Success seems to be there, since Exo plans to extend “on demand” to two new cities – one on the South Shore and another on the North Shore – in the coming months. “It’s part of our growth strategy,” confirms Marie Hélène Cloutier, executive director of customer experience for Exo.
Exo eliminated its fixed lines in Beloeil to introduce five “on-demand” buses, while in Terrebonne the company instead added cars in addition to the bus offer already in place. There, up to three sedans at a time fill “the first and last kilometer” of journeys. “It allows a connection to the stations, to the trains. […] This improves access to incentive parking or attraction points. »
The company says it has expanded its customer base thanks to this service. Nearly 40% of Beloeil residents who use the “on-demand” service had never used public transport before. “With the same operating budget, we serve 300% more traffic,” adds the Exo representative
Gatineau has done the same since the implementation of a first shared taxi in July 2021. A second car is now circulating in the remote areas of Masson and Buckingham. Here again, collective taxis only circulate locally in these village-like neighborhoods, explains José Lafleur, public affairs manager for the STO. “It’s a somewhat isolated sector. The traditional system is more expensive and more difficult to offer. » Nearly 18,820 trips were made in three years, an average of 17 per day. About half of these trips were shared between several users.
“It’s not a door-to-door service. It’s not a taxi. It remains public transport,” emphasizes José Lafleur. You always have to take buses at fixed times to reach the city center. Still, “it’s here for good.”
Not always easy to adapt
The formula didn’t stick everywhere. Trois-Rivières did not renew its pilot project in 2022, justifying that it had “not contributed significantly” to the increase in ridership.
Seniors also have difficulty adapting to technology. Saguenay corrected this shortcoming by installing landlines at key stops and opened a direct line allowing you to order your bus from an agent. Nearly 40% of Saguenay users of on-demand transport use the traditional telephone, compared to 60% using the application.
There is also the problem of “dereservations”, notes Marie Hélène Cloutier. Some people withdraw without notifying the transport company. Since the algorithm is optimized according to all users, any route then loses efficiency.
This is not a door to door service. It’s not a taxi. It remains public transport.
The main fault of the “on-demand” service only occurs if it is too popular, observes Jean-Philippe Meloche, an expert in urban transport at the University of Montreal. The network saturates if demand is too high. “Generally, complaints about these systems come because the wait times are too long,” he says.
Conversely, “the main advantage [du transport à la demande], that’s the cost. It really costs less,” says the interview expert. To travel within a small regional municipality, the formula is ideal. “It allows us to extend the map” of the service to places with little or no access. “The smaller the volume, the more relevant it is. »
Shared Uber
Transportation giant Uber recently launched into “on-demand” public transportation. Its “Uber Shuttle” service made its debut in the United States last May after tests in Cairo and Delhi.
This year, citizens of three cities in the United States (Chicago, Charlotte, and Pittsburgh) can board these on-demand taxi buses. This service is mainly designed to compensate for the lack of transport to airports or after major concerts in arenas. These joint trips still allow you to save on average 25% on the price of a trip, according to the company.
A Canadian city went further by delegating its entire transportation system to Uber. The Ontario town of Innisfil commissioned the company in 2019 to provide public transportation to its approximately 40,000 residents. A taxi picks you up for $4, $5 or $6 and the City is responsible for paying the difference on the bill. Heavily financing public transportation, whether private or public, is the prerogative of all municipalities, notes Jean-Phillipe Meloche. Small community networks are already 80% to 90% funded by public funds.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.