Grand Besançon Métropole renews Keolis for 7 years with the aim of developing the Ginko network

Keolis welcomes the decision of Grand Besançon Métropole awarding it the operation of the “Ginko” public transport network for a period of seven years, starting on 1 January 2025. This new contract, representing a cumulative revenue of 320 million euros, aims to provide the area’s 200,000 residents with ever more seamless and environmentally friendly mobility.

A multimodal network and new services to facilitate passenger mobility

Keolis will continue to operate all of the network’s modes of transport, which encompass trams, buses, services for people with reduced mobility (PRM), and on-demand transport (ODT), as well as bike hire, a bike share scheme, and park-and-ride facilities. The network covers 68 municipalities, with around 600 stops, including 31 tram stations. A fleet of 114 buses and 19 trams run between the metropolitan area’s business hubs and amenities. The contract also includes significant proposals to increase transport services and improve quality. The tram fleet will be bolstered by Grand Besançon Métropole’s acquisition of five new high-capacity Alstom trains, to be deployed from autumn 2025. The “Ginko VéloCité” bike share scheme will be upgraded with 100 new e-bikes (200 bikes in total across 30 stations), which will allow twice as much patronage over the coming years. Nearly 1,000 e-bikes will also be available for long-term rental starting in 2025. Through this improved transport service offering, the Greater Besançon Council and Keolis share the ambitious goal of providing 23.3 million trips a year in 2031.

Keolis: a committed and innovative partner for sustainable, shared mobility in Besançon

To simplify access to services and enhance the passenger experience, Keolis Besançon Mobilités has already modernised ticketing and introduced open payment (January 2022), developed a ticket validation counter to combat fare evasion (May 2022), and launched a service providing real-time information on bus/tram occupancy levels (January 2023). Keolis has been supporting Grand Besançon Métropole’s ambitious sustainable mobility projects for several years. Thanks to continuous investment, the entire bus fleet now runs on HVO and biogas. Through these initiatives, Grand Besançon Métropole and Keolis confirm their commitment to reducing GHG emissions by 41% by 2031 across Ginko’s network