The Intermunicipal Community

Legal person of public right| Instance of local power and Intermunicipal cooperation| Consists of 13 municipalities

Intervention Areas:

Territory Management Tourism and Culture Education and Training

Civil Defence Mobility and Transportation Professional Qualification

Sports Entrepreneurship Administrative Modernization

Community Funds Management Purchase Central Geographic Information

Systems

The Médio Tejo Territory

13 municipalities

70 thousand job places

247 thousand inhabitants

3344 km2

23 thousand business units

The Médio Tejo Territory Population Structure

6 cities that concentrate nearly 30% of the population

About 60% of the population lives in places with less than 2.000 inhabitants, where the implementation of a regular transport service finds increased difficulties.

In the more rural areas, the access to equipment and services by the population presupposes, almost always, the travel to the polarizing urban centres.

The Médio Tejo Territory Regular Public Transport Network

Shortage of passenger transport services in areas of lower population density, where commercial operation is found unfeasible, causing social inequalities in access to public transportation;

Schedules adapted only to school transport, with very significant service breaks during the day, on weekends and holidays and during school holidays;

Defective interconnection amongst existing transport services

The pilot experience of the Transport on Demand

The Problem…

In low-density areas the regular public transport, with schedules and fixed routes is uneconomical and unattractive

The Goal…

Study new public transport solutions, adapted to areas of low population density, in a perspective to promote the basic right to mobility, in a logic of social inclusion

The Solution…

Flexibility of the offer with a view to better adapt to the demand, reducing functioning costs and optimizing the service conditions => Transport on Demand

Services Suppression

Fewer Schedules

More places without service

Reduced and disperse demand

Long distances and high travel

times

Unattractive offer

High costs

Increased operating

deficits

Offer reduction Social Exclusion

The pilot experience of the Transport on Demand From the project to the start in the field

2012 • Lack of legal framework for the implementation of flexible transport services in

Portugal

June 2012

• Order No. 7575/2012 of June 1, 2012 the Secretary of State for Public Works, Transport and Communications - Authorizes the Intermunicipal Community of the Médio Tejo to develop the pilot project of Transport on Demand

January 2013

• Starts the implementation of the Transport on Demand service in the Médio Tejo (municipality of Mação)

2014

• The project Transport on Demand in the Médio Tejo is presented in the Strategic Plan of Transport and Infrastructures of the Portuguese Government, as experimental reference to the dissemination of flexible transport in Portugal

2015

• New Legal Regime of the Public Passenger Transport Service, which decentralizes Transport Authority powers to CIM’s and Municipalities and frames the flexible passenger transport public service

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience Fundamental Principles

• Only works in places and times of the day without regular public transport supply

• Routes and coordinated schedules with other existing transport services (regional services, railway,…)

Complements the existing supply of public transport

• Are available schedules and routes that meet the most common/general needs of the population Does not replace the Taxi

• Connecting more rural places to their respective parish offices, to meet the travel needs for services that are located there and, from these, to the county seats and the nearest town

Ensure mobility within the municipality

• Ensures a minimum of 3 circulations/day to allow travel to the early morning to the county seat (near the services opening hours) and return around lunch time and in the evening

Guarantees minimum levels of service

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience How does it works?

The Transport on Demand has circuits, stops and defined schedules, like the regular transport. To use the service customers have to make a prior reservation to the schedule they want. The booking central, registers the reservations and organizes the transport supply according to the requests.

Daily the vehicles only go to the stops where there are travel reservations.

CIMT Registo e Confirmação de

Reservas / Reservas de última hora

Identificação das rotas a realizar (Listagem ordenada dos clientes a recolher por horário e paragem)

Relatórios de Estatísticas de Passageiros e de Linhas

Rodoviária do Tejo / Táxis MaçãoVeículos aderentes

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience How does it works?

The service of reservation requests and operation management are ensured by CIMT, using a computer platform.

The transport service is provided mainly by local taxis.

The taxis adherent to the service are paid according to the number of km made, by deducting the received tariff revenues.

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience How does it works?

The tariffs are about 1.5 x regular routes price / corresponds roughly to the taxi trip value divided by 4 passengers (echelons depending on distance 1,60€ a 5,10€)

For more frequent travels a book of 10 pre-purchased tickets is available, with 30% discount.

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience Service Evolution

January 2013 Start of the Experiment

Médio Tejo ToD: 5 circuits 68 stops 4.000 people served

September 2013 Widening to the entire

municipality of Mação

Médio Tejo ToD: 8 circuits 112 stops 7.300 people served

May 2014 Widening to the municipalities

of Abrantes and Sardoal

Médio Tejo ToD: 13 circuits 245 stops 37.300 people served

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience Service Evolution

March 2016 Widening to the municipality

of Ourém

Médio Tejo ToD: 27 circuits 446 stops 64.300 people served

May 2016 Widening to the municipalities of

Tomar and Vila Nova da Barquinha

Médio Tejo ToD: 30 circuits 526 stops 75.100 people served

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience Partnerships Examples

In Ourém municipality, the implemented circuits carry out on alternate days of the week (improving the demand aggregation), in combined schedules with health services (the days and hours of the Transport on Demand functioning match the schedules of medical appointments)

Coordination of the Transport on Demand with Health Services

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience Partnerships Examples

In the municipality of Vila Nova da Barquinha, it is functioning in a mixed solution: operation through the use of the available capacity of school transport + operation by taxi transportation.

All schedules are coordinated with the inter-regional and inter-cities trains in the Entroncamento Train Station.

Coordination of the Transport on

Demand with the School Transport and

Rail Services

Route taken by school transport

Route taken by taxi

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience Service Statistics

2013 2014 2015 2016(Jan.-Apr.)

75% 80%

95% 100%

% days with reservations

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2013 2014 2015 2016(Jan.-Apr.)

4.600 passengers

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

20000

2013 2014 2015 2016(Jan.-Apr.)

51.000 km traveled

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience Service Statistics

Travelled about 7% of the km that would be needed to accomplish through a regular service

Progressive reduction in the operating deficit – currently in the order of 5€/passenger and 0,54€/km

Income coverage rate of the total costs of 35% (2016)

theoretical km - regular service

km covered in Transport onDemand

0 €

5 €

10 €

15 €

20 €

25 €

30 €

35 €

40 €

45 €

2013 2014 2015 2016(Jan.-Apr.)

Total costs/passenger

Total income/passenger

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

2013 2014 2015 2016(Jan.-Apr.)

Total costs/km

Total income/km

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience Some Conclusions

Sharing problems and experiences creates better solutions.

Better structuring of the network and coordination between services.

Scale economies in the operation of services.

On average are made about 7% of the km that would be required to travel with a regular basic service.

67% of travels are made for health reasons.

It allows to give a qualified answer to mobility needs of the population living in areas of low population density, particularly for disadvantaged groups / most at risk of social exclusion.

Social relevance of the project

Importance of the regional approach

Constitutes a more economical solution

and greater environmental sustainability

compared to the regular network

Transport on Demand Pilot Experience Some Conclusions

Since the beginning of the service the income coverage rate over the costs increased from 8% to 35%.

The demand knowledge elapsing from mandatory reserve is a key factor for the continuous improvement of the service.

72% of customer use the service more than once.

High levels of satisfaction (greater comfort, shorter travel times than regular service, …)

There is a learning way to go / solutions optimization, aiming

at the sustainability of the service

Great flexibility to adapt to people’s

needs

Quality of service and high levels of

satisfaction

Thank you!

Maria do Céu Albuquerque President of the Intermunicipal Council of CIM Médio Tejo

Portugal

transporteapedido.mediotejo.pt