Keolis starts operating a new real-time on-demand transport service in Newcastle, Australia

Keolis’ Australian subsidiary, Keolis Downer, has started operating a new real-time on-demand transport service in Newcastle, as part of its Smart City Program. This new service builds on the success of existing on-demand services in Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, where ridership continues to grow by over 5% each month. It provides the local community and visitors a better access to public transport and aims to shift from private cars to public transport.

On 28 October 2019, Keolis’ Australian subsidiary, Keolis Downer, started operating a new real-time on-demand transport service in Newcastle. The new service is a 12-month trial that is part of the Newcastle Smart City Program being implemented by the City of Newcastle. 

It will further optimise Newcastle’s transport network by providing residents with a new way to reach key CBD locations (city center) or to connect with other modes of transport, such as the Newcastle Interchange, light rail and bus services and Broadmeadow railway station. 

Established in 2009, Keolis Downer is the joint venture between Keolis and Downer, the leading provider of integrated services in Australia and New Zealand.
With a presence in five states, it employs some 5,000 people and carries more than 250 million passengers per year. In Newcastle, Keolis operates the multimodal transport network which includes the light rail and bus services, as well as an on-demand transport service and ferries. The group also operates and maintains the largest tram network in the world in Melbourne (Yarra Trams), the light rail network on the Gold Coast (G:link) and more than 1,200 buses in four states: New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.