Demand-Responsive Transport : The strong link of multimodal transport

Many sparsely populated suburban areas make the decision not to provide public transport, rather than run empty buses. As a result, people are forced to use their own private cars to get around. The Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) offers the possibility to provide a transport service in these areas, and to bring people back to already existing transport nodes. In this sense, DRT is an integral part of multimodal transportation. Let's find out why.

What is multimodal transport?

In concrete terms, multimodal transport, which can also be called combined transport, consists of transporting passengers or goods from one point to another using at least two different modes of transport in succession.

Until recently, this concept focused on the transport of goods, and aimed to optimise production and delivery costs, but it now also includes travelers. Multimodal transport refers, for instance, to a person who takes a bus, a plane and then a cab to go on vacation or to his or her place of work. On a smaller scale, combined transport can also be set up for a short ride trip, from home to work, using bus, metro, streetcar, car or train.

The Demand-Responsive Transport : a major tool for multimodal transport

DRT is a particularly relevant offer when demand is low, whether in a poorly served area or at times of the day with fluctuant demand. It allows to join the existing fixed networks, and is thus perfectly in line with the principle of multimodal transport.

Combine several means of transportation to facilitate access to a territory's employment pool

The solutions of Demand-Responsive Transport solutions allow people living in areas with limited public transit service to reach strategic points of the fixed networks. The latter then take over the task of transporting people to their place of work using other modes of travel.

The usefulness of DRT is therefore obvious in terms of access to a territory's employment pool. It opens doors to potential employees who would not otherwise have been able to get to the site, but this solution also helps to relieve the congestion on roads, too busy and congested by workers who travel to work with their personal vehicles.  

Within the framework of multimodal transport, the Demand-Responsive Transport is therefore a real player in the activity of companies in the territories.

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Improve traffic conditions on the roads

By allowing travelers to easily and simply get to the main fixed public transport lines, the DRT contributes greatly to decongesting the roads. Indeed, the very principle of Demand-Responsive Transport is to group several travelers in a single vehicle.

By being part of the multimodal transport approach, the DRT also acts on the quality of the road network, and all that results from it (accidents, parking problems, delays due to traffic jams, etc.).

Thus, each territory can shape its DRT offer according to its needs and constraints, and thus allow users to reach the various transport hubs, whether it be a bus or train station, a metro station, or even a tramway stop.

Whether it is large or small, a DRT network can therefore be installed very quickly, and can be perfectly integrated into a larger public transport network. A DRT network thus plays a role in the construction of a global offer, and constitutes an essential link in the network, since it participates in the management of the last kilometre.

Some examples of DRT built for multimodal transport

What better way to understand a service than to have concrete examples? Here are two situations in which the implementation of Demand-Responsive Transport contributes greatly to multimodal transport

Combining rail and road: getting to the train station with the Demand-Responsive Transport

According to a 2016 study by the Transport Regulation Authority (formerly Arafer), 90% of the French population lives within 10 km of a train station. Thus, many French workers take the train to work every day. While this network is dense enough to meet demand, it is often the kilometres to travel between home and the train station that pose a problem for suburban or rural areas.

In many cases, transportation is poorly developed or not developed at all, and the use of bicycles is not always possible. The use of the private car is therefore often a preferred solution.

By offering the passage of common vehicles, at times and places chosen by the traveler, the DRT makes it possible to travel the first (or last) few kilometres that separate the traveler from another fixed and efficient mode of public transportation . The Demand-Responsive Transport is therefore an integral part of multimodal transportation and extends the existingpublic service offer .

Reaching major public transport stations

What is valid for train stations is also valid for all other possible public transport routes: streetcar, bus, cab, metro... The Demand-Responsive Transport can even allow travelers to access areas where soft mobility is developed. They can go to a bike or scooter rental station, which is often not possible from their residential area. Through multimodal transport, DRT is part of an ecological approach, where users can limit their CO2 emissions and contribute to environmental protection.

Padam Mobility offers on-demand transportation solutions that fit perfectly with multimodal travel. Simple, quick to set up, and inexpensive, Padam Mobility's DRT can be easily integrated into an existing network, and thus extends thetransport offer to suburban and rural areas.