Demand-responsive transport: which data for which services?

Demand-responsive transport is no longer just a “bonus” service: it has become a real lever for structuring public transportation offers, capable of adapting to various territories. But what exactly is demand-responsive transport, and what value does it bring to a public transport service?

Demand-responsive transport can be marketing-oriented

Demand-responsive transport (or flexible services) that can cover a lot of different operational realities. While all of them can be experienced by travellers, not all of them can be considered as an additional mode of operation for public transport services.

For example, these services add flexibility to public transport without necessarily requiring a change in the schedule data:

• On-demand drop-off after a certain time of the day with a direct request made to the driver (e.g., in between two stops or with a small detour after 22:00),
• On-demand pick-up at a fixed stop, often made by raising a hand (e.g., a bus does not mark a stop if no one is waiting at the stop),
• A change of the type of vehicle for a time period with low demand (e.g., 12-seater bus for winter nights).

They can be seen as “marketing” services inasmuch as they require for the travellers to know that these options exists to request them. But, these services do not require a different definition of the public transport offer (lines, stops, journeys or schedule). Very often, these services are advertised locally (e.g., poster in a bus, banner on a website, etc.)

Demand-responsive transport services are very diverse

Actual flexible services that operate differently than conventional public transport can be very diverse. Their range goes from taxis to shuttles for a specific category of travellers. These require a different schedule data feed to ensure that they are represented in trip planners. Aside from taxis and NTCs, these are the most commonly found flexible services (based on Transmodel terminology):

Type of flexible services	Service details	Example
Main Route With Flexible Ends	The service can be changed on both ends of the line, based on demand	Night bus N15 will cover 3 more stops at the end of the line to pick-up passengers after an event.
Flexible Areas Only	The line covers up to N areas, while the service will cover part of these N areas based on demand	Line F12 covers areas A, B and D. On Thursday at 15:00, vehicle V123 will pick up passengers at 2 different addresses in Area D and drop them at the same address in Area A.
Hail And Ride Sections	Following a defined route, the service can pick up or drop off passengers in certain sections based on demand.	Bus C168 can pick up any passenger flagging the driver on its route, even when there is no fixed stop.
Fixed Stop Area Wide	The service is scheduled based on passenger demand; all pick-up and drop-off must be done at existing stops.	Bus line P256 covers Area A, in wich there are stops ‘Eaux vives’ and ‘Place du Marché’. On Sunday at 10:00, Vehicle V5684 will pick up 4 passengers at ‘Eaux vives’ and drop them at ‘Place du Marché’.
Free Area, Area Wide	A service covers 1 and 1 only area with stops being made based on passengers’ demand.	Line B99 only covers Area E. On Tuesday at 09:30, vehicle M55 will pick up 5 passengers at city hall, drop 3 of them at the hospital and 2 of them at the shopping mall.
Mixed Flexible And Fixed	A line operates both a fixed service (fixed stops, fixed schedule) and a specific flexible service	Bus line N4 has fixed services on weekdays between 06:30 and 20:15; on weekends, it can pick up and drop off passengers at fixed stops between 10:00 and 18:30.

All these services can have restrictions for booking conditions such as:

• Eligibility criteria for the passengers (e.g., senior citizens, people with reduced mobility),
• Non-competition regulations with conventional public transport services,
• Time-based demand (e.g., only in winter).

DRT added-value can only be activated with the right passenger information

In the search of managing efficient public transport services while increasing the satisfaction level of passengers, having demand-responsive transit service adds value to the overall offer with:

• More safety for passengers (e.g., for women at night),
• Better service for a specific category of passengers (e.g., for senior people),
• Efficiency of resources (e.g., avoiding empty buses),
• Wider coverage (e.g., more passengers reached in a rural area).

And, to ensure that these services add value for both the passengers and the Public Transport Authorities / Operators, they must be discoverable. For this, they must be part of the public transport offer shown on websites and trip planners. To learn more ➡️ How PTAs fully leverage DRT services?