Keolis contracts renewed in Chauny and Dole (France)

Chauny-Tergnier-La Fère district council (CACTLF) and Greater Dole choose Keolis to operate their public transport services.

Keolis will continue to support Chauny's ambitions in terms of mobility and quality of life in the region with a further six-year contract starting on 1 October 2023.

Aiming to strengthen the mobility offer, Keolis will improve the frequency and extent of the network, particularly on the primary line (line 1) and in residential, business and school areas. The on-demand transport service (ODT) will be overhauled to cater for new rural municipalities and employees of the industrial zone. Starting in 2024, the ODT fleet will be fully renewed with electric vehicles.

Keolis will work closely with the urban district council to reduce the environmental impact of transport. The biofuel HVO will be used in the 40 eligible vehicles from 2023. Active mobility will also be highlighted with the deployment during the contract of a fleet of 40 electric bikes for long-term hire in 20xx.

To improve the customer experience, the "Lyneo & moi" app will be deployed in 2024. This will offer a full range of features: detailed network information, route calculator, real-time information, electronic tickets, ODT bookings, bike hire and car sharing services. Starting in 2026, it will also be possible to pay for and validate tickets with a bank card.

The Greater Dole council has voted to create a SEMop ("Société d'Économie Mixte à opération unique"), a contractual structure involving the local authority and a private shareholder, to manage the urban district's public transport. Keolis was appointed in June 2023 to operate the public transport network for a period of seven years.

In the autumn, a new express line called Lizia will be established to serve the industrial areas, particularly for employees working shifts. In addition, three regular lines (1, 2 and 3) will be reinforced with more buses and an expanded timetable. Keolis aims to increase passenger numbers by 24% by the time the contract ends in 2030.

Aiming to promote more environmentally friendly transport, buses will operate on biofuel (HVO) from September. The goal is to expand the use of this biofuel gradually to all the urban lines by 2025.

The on-demand transport (ODT) service Flexijob, already available in 18 municipalities across the urban district, will be extended to all 47 of Greater Dole's municipalities. In addition, an ODT service dedicated to senior citizens over the age of 75 will be created to serve destinations such as health centres and shops.

Other improvements are also planned for travellers, such as card payments on buses and the deployment of an app to facilitate ODT bookings, offering the possibility of booking up to an hour before departure.