Metrobus is taking a significant step this holiday season with a new on-demand transit pilot that will operate on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. It’s the first time in decades that St. John’s will have any transit service on these statutory holidays — a clear response to how the city’s mobility needs have evolved.
In recent years, ridership in St. John’s has grown by more than 40%, mainly driven by increased immigration, but also by a changing workforce, and increasingly diverse mobility needs. For a city that has traditionally paused transit service during major holidays, this shift signals a new reality: more residents now rely on public transit every day of the year.
To meet this demand, Metrobus is testing a flexible, shared-ride on-demand service using minibuses. Trips can be booked through the mobile app or by phone, and riders
Source:
● https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/metrobus-holiday-routes-9.6998987
Bus operating the Vitoria-Bilbao route c.1950 / Archivo Municipal de Vitoria
On-demand stops bring connectivity and flexibility to smaller communities
🛣️ The birth of direct high-capacity routes will create the new interurban bus network in the main corridors where buses will compete and operate an express-style service, be competitive on pricing and add convenience in terms of travel time to attract passengers. The new interurban bus network will not only compete with the rail network but also the private car, and this is where commercial speed and efficiency comes into play.
However, offering a speedy, comfortable, and reliable service on high-demand corridors ultimately means leaving out the smaller communities that fall off the public transport network.
💡 Enter the star of today´s article 👉 on-demand stops that can offer the same flexibility including off the grid stops but only when there is demand on certain routes or schedules (time of day, day of week, season of year / term /non-term time)
Rail travel is arguably faster on longer routes, especially where congestion or road conditions can delay buses. But rail travel is completely inflexible to changes in demand. So as road networks improve and new technologies—such as Nemi´s software for on-demand stops, electric or autonomous buses—emerge, interurban bus services will continue to evolve 🚏
Nemi launches on-demand interurban bus route in northern Spain
In reality in many regions, they remain not just an alternative to trains, but an essential component of a balanced and efficient public transportation system. Take the new interurban on-demand service Nemi just launched in the Girona province of northern Spain.
Screen shots from Nemi´s user app: the whole interurban route / flexible on-demand stop off the main highway
The operator´s perspective
Alex Gilabert, CEO of local transport operator Teisa explains, “the new service between Hostalric and Vic has a total route of 75 km, of which 30 km is highway. On this section, it is essential to maintain a high commercial speed so that the journey between the two regions by coach is competitive with private vehicles in terms of travel time. The small villages that lie off the main highway have the status of on-demand stop meaning that a digitalised request must be made to board or alight the bus, so that only when a customer actually wants to use the bus does it request a detour from the highway. So effectively we can meet the requirements of a quality express service, serving low-demand areas and nearby towns without compromising service quality and customer perception. It´s a win-win for everyone!”
For more information please contact lisa.grace@nemi.mobi
