New Software to Better Direct On-Demand Bus Services to Customer Needs in the Rural Areas of the Province of Modena
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RURAL SHARED MOBILITY www.ruralsharedmobility.eu NEW SOFTWARE TO BETTER DIRECT ON-DEMAND BUS SERVICES TO CUSTOMER NEEDS IN THE RURAL AREAS OF THE PROVINCE OF MODENA Country: Italy, Emilia Romagna Region OVERVIEW ProntoBus is an on-demand bus service which aims to integrate urban and extra-urban public transport services with the neighbouring villages and rural areas in the Province of Modena. Within the framework of the RUMOBIL European Project, a new software has been developed with the aim of improving the quality of information of the service. The software has started to be implemented in the small Municipality of Castelfranco Prontobus Emilia (~ 30k inhabit.), where the Prontobus service is active from 2006, since October 2017, with very positive results. The new software system provides real-time information to the user via a web portal or smartphone app and allows the booking of the service; on the back-office hand, it allows the call center to manage the reservation with a dedicated web interface, to collect information about each single reservation (origin and destination stop, hour, duration and length of single trips, etc) and to communicate with the bus drivers via tablet. In June 2018, the software has also started to be implemented in the Municipality of Mirandola (~ 23k inhab.).on previous experience. Main aspect/issue addressed by the good practice Main objectives of the good practice The good practice is addressing the following aspects: The new software, designed and developed by The • Technologies that enable more efficient planning of Agency for mobility and local public transport Modena journeys S.p.A. – “aMo”, aims to improve the quality of services of • Real time travel information the Prontobus DRT operated in rural areas, with the main Moreover, Prontobus offers a flexible transport solution goal of significantly improving the user information and the usable by all population including mobility-impaired people management of the service operation procedures (the service is carried out with small buses equipped for the get-on/get-off of disabled passengers) DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA Region Target area Population Population density Prontobus is implemented Isle of Texel The total population in the 304 [inhab. /Km2] in the Emilia Romagna 102.47 [Km2] target area is 32174 inhab. region 1 - Good Practice - New software to better direct on-demand bus services to customer needs in the rural areas of the Province of Modena RURAL SHARED MOBILITY Other Target user groups and needs The territory of the Castelfranco Emilia Municipality The Prontobus service connects low demand area includes 8 small villages/rural areas where the and sparsely hamlets with the relevant centres and/ predominant activity is agriculture. In the territory there or with the main axes of the transport network. The is a small health district and a railway station that allows service is available for all population groups including an easy connection to the neighbouring urban centres mobility-impaired people. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRACTICE Timeframe(s) The vehicles have to stop in the predefined stops only if a request has been made. To use the service, it is The Prontobus on-demand service has been active in necessary to book the ride at least 30 minutes before the Castelfranco Emilia Municipality since 2006. The the time of departure and it is possible to book a ride for new software was tested during September 2017. the same day, for the following days or for the following At the end of September, the software started to be week; the service must be booked by phone call at the implemented in the small municipality of Castelfranco dedicated call center. The call center is managed by Emilia. At the end of October, all the (minor) bugs were SETA and covers all the Municipalities where Prontobus solved and all the tests were successfully completed is operated. without errors. In June 2018, the software was extended also to the small municipality of Mirandola. Bodies involved In the framework of the European Project RUMOBIL (Rural Mobility in European Regions affected by Demographic Change), funded by the Interreg Central Europe programme, the new software has been developed by “aMo” and has started to be implemented with the collaboration of the Municipality of Castelfranco Emilia. The Prontobus service is operated by SETA, the public transport operator of the Province of Modena, and is managed and planned by “aMo”, the public mobility Agency of the Province of Modena. Mobility services provided/addressed The new software is specifically related to the public transport service “Prontobus”. “Prontobus” connects the sparsely inhabited areas The service is entirely flexible and allows all possible trips of the Castelfranco Emilia Municipality, that are not to and from the network collection points (dedicated served by conventional transport services, with the stops) (“many to many” DRT service) and each race neighbouring urban centres. The service is a general- can be booked by one or more people. The service is in purpose DRT (the service is opened to the general public) operation from 7 am to 12 pm and from 2.30 pm to 7.30 where passengers can board only at the dedicated bus pm. The Prontobus services are carried out with small stops, that are marked with the service logo and an buses equipped for board and deboard of disabled/ identification number that must be communicated at mobility impaired passengers. The cost of a Prontobus the time of booking. ticket is is estimated on the average distance to travel. 2 - Good Practice - New software to better direct on-demand bus services to customer needs in the rural areas of the Province of Modena RURAL SHARED MOBILITY DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRACTICE Legal Framework Demographic Change), funded under the Interreg- CENTRAL EUROPE program. At local level the main Authorities involved in the design, assignment and control phases of the Prontobus The Prontobus service, as well as the other transport services are: services in the Modena Province, are funded by the • the Emilia Romagna Region that has the availability resources allocated by the State within the National of the economic resources and defines the Transportation Fund and the own resources of the guidelines for one harmonised and comprehensive Emilia Romagna region. In particular, the Prontobus transport policy upon homogenous areas both from service is funded by the municipalities too. a geographic and mobility point of view. • “aMo - Agenzia per la mobilità e il trasporto pubblico locale di Modena S.p.A”, that is the agency for mobility and local public transport in the Province of Modena. It signs the service contract through which rights and duties of the operators are defined and the economical amounts for the development of the service are set; in addition, “aMo” is in charge of planning, defining and managing the local public transport services in the Province. • SETA S.p.A, the Public Transport Operator which operates the local transport services in the province of Modena, Reggio Emilia and Piacenza. The Prontobus service is operated within the same Within the contract service, the amount is fixed on contract of the conventional public transport services a “remunerazione binomia” (binomial remuneration) of the Modena Province basin. The assignment of basis; in particular, the remuneration is based on either this on-demand service has been implemented by the cost (fixed) for the hours of service (“costo orario “aMo” according to the art. 19 of the Regional Law per ore di servizio”) and on the cost for the distance 30/1998. The assignment has been carried out through travelled (“produzioni chilometriche”). procedures to public evidence, and the reference territory for the tender has been identified in the Organizational set-up territorial homogeneous areas supra-basin as defined by the Region in coherence with the above mentioned Since the software system for the on-demand service legislation. “Prontobus” in Castelfranco Emilia was released from the supplier on the 28th August 2017, the first test Inside the service contract, the engagements and phase was started by aMo on the 29th August 2017 obligations relate to the transport and the activities in order to verify all the functionalities foreseen by the connected to the service supply, the fare system, the technical specifications of the public procurement. investments (buses, service infrastructures, technology, …), the monitoring of the performances, the qualitative Subsequently, starting from the 4th September 2017, standards of the service, the level of satisfaction of the the software was made available to the call center to customers. start loading the reservations and verify the functionality of the program from their point of view. During this Cost and Financing sources first phase few changes were necessary, mainly due to minor bugs detected, which were immediately solved For the realisation of the new software, Amo received by the supplier. some funding from the European Commission within the framework of the European Project RUMOBIL On the 19th September 2017, the press conference (Rural Mobility in the European Regions affected by for the launch of the RUMOBIL project was held in 3 - Good Practice - New software to better direct on-demand bus services to customer needs in the rural areas of the Province of Modena RURAL SHARED MOBILITY DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRACTICE Castelfranco Emilia and starting from the same date call center. In the search for existing journeys it is the software system started to work completely. During possible to see them all or only those relating to an the first phase of use no problems were detected and area of interest. everything worked as expected. Starting from the date • If the user is signed in, he can receive e-mails or text of the press conference, the advertising activity of the messages that notify if the Prontobus services are RUMOBIL Project began with posters posted in the active on the following day on those preferred stops main points touched by the Prontobus service.