Vectalia and TMB are awarded the public transport contract for the Community of Béziers Méditerranée in France

 

The Community of Béziers Méditerranée has trusted the Vectalia Group and Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) with the operation of its public transportation network, comprised of 60 vehicles, which will provide service to 125,000 inhabitants from the 17 communities in the territory.  The contact will be effective starting 1st January 2019 for a term of 10 years.

 

The proposal presented by Vetalia and TMB stood out during the bidding process, in which other important European companies also competed, as it provided innovative and pragmatic solutions to include the network in the mobility of the future; integrating society’s great achievements, such as energy sensitivity, universal access and technological innovation.

 

A restructured transport system to connect all of the territory’s citizens

 

Within the framework of this new public service, Vectalia and TMB have responded to the Community’s needs, creating a new transport endeavor supported by a restructuring of the city lines and, especially, an increase in the frequency of the main lines and a better connection with the entire territory, including services which respond to the demand for transport to less densely populated areas in the territory.

 

A strong commitment to energy transition 

 

Vectalia and TMB’s proposal stood out because of its strong commitment to energy transition, deciding to renovate the bus fleet with new vehicles fueled by Natural Gas. Thirty-three new Natural Gas buses will be purchased in the first year, and 23 more until the end of the concession, continuing with the commitment to operate all 12 meter buses with Natural Gas.

 

To do this, starting 1st January 2019, the companies will begin the installation of a modern Natural Gas filling station in their own depots.  This proposal was developed through the collaboration of the technical teams at Vectalia and TMB, partners in this Project, placing great value on the experience obtained from the operation of approximately 400 buses fueled by natural gas in Barcelona.

 

The initial investment in the first year is around 12.5 million Euros for the fleet renovation and 2.5 million for installations.  The predicted investment for the 10 years of the contract term is expected to be over 20.2 million Euros.

 

 

A new image to represent mobility in Béziers Méditerranée

 

The commercial image of the public transport network of Béziers will also make a leap towards the future with different actions such as the creation of a new visual identity for the entire network, a new business office in the city center, a new information point for travelers, new website and app, an online store and a new mobile application for ticket validation via smartphone.

 

 

A new price range to achieve customer loyalty

 

The fares for the Béziers transport network will also be subject to revision with a new business strategy which aims to increase customer loyalty, giving special attention to the most disadvantaged social groups with adapted fares.

 

With this new mobility initiative and comprehensive services, Vectalia predicts an ambitious 25% increase in passengers during the term of the contract.

 

This important success strengthens the Vectalia Group‘s presence in France where it currently operates important city transport networks such as the Sankéo network of Perpignan Mediterranée, the Envibus network of the urban area of Sophia Antipolis in Antibes, the TUC network of the urban area of Cambrais and the management of numerous intercity and school transport networks.

 

Since 2011, Vectalia France’s activities have been carried out in collaboration with the Vectalia Group of Spain and TMB. Both operators are leaders in the Spanish market in the public transport sector.

 

TMB is the main public transport operator in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, where it operates the metro and city bus networks, which transport over 2 million travelers each workday.  Internationally, in addition to participating in the operation of the above mentioned metropolitan networks in Perpiñán and Antibes in France, the company also provides consulting services for governments, consortia and operators for projects such as the metros of Panama, Buenos Aires and Lima, and the light rails of Granada and Dublin.