The new vehicle acquisition project can only meet a need to renew the fleet of existing routes. The offer could then be slightly improved, but the major gain will be improvement in the comfort, availability and safety of the new vehicles.
That said, the life of a transport system is more complex, with new needs emerging in an unchanging network and, above all, new services to be created to support the changes in the demand for transport and urban development. This is why a vehicle acquisition project, while meeting immediate needs, must fit into a medium/long term perspective. In other words, it must meet the future needs that are emerging from the “mobility of the future” studies, the travel planning at the level of the agglomeration and the scheduling of extension projects, creation of routes and integration of the network formed by them.
Related Questions
Including the acquisition project within the outlook for urban development and new mobility needs:
- Is there a master plan for development and urban planning as well as a programme of “mobility” projects to tackle the strategic development objectives?
- Do we have recent survey data on current mobility that can be used to make predictions of transport demand? Is there a sustainable urban mobility plan?
- Are these strategic documents operational? Do they effectively guide the decisions of the public authorities?
- If the project includes the deployment of a new institutional offer (in terms of coverage or density), has the question of the potential competition with paratransit been addressed? If applicable, are there plans in place for a transition programme and is the informal sector going to be taken into consideration?
- If the vehicle acquisition project responds to an increase in supply on current services or to route extensions/creations:
- Are the estimates of the travel needs to be met adequate for defining the project’s objectives?
- Am I able to define the appropriate type(s) of vehicle(s) (capacities, vehicle routing constraints, etc.) as well as the overall fleet required for these new services?
- Is there a schedule for route extension and creation projects for the phasing of the vehicle purchase project (number, calibration and objective calendar of the tranches)?
