In its feature on future mobilities, Reflets Magazine #150 examines the high environmental impact and consequences of individual vehicles. Will we all use public transport in the future? Find out the answers of Claire Duthu (E14) in a free online translation of the article. Subscribe to get the next issues (in French)!

Reflets Magazine: What are the main forms of public transport currently in existence?

Claire Duthu: In addition to the bus, tram, metro and local train networks, the definition also covers pooled transport (primarily self-service bicycles and scooters), demand-responsive transport which was originally geared towards PRM users but is seeing broader use, and subsidised car-pooling.

RM: What is the public transport share in French travel?

C. Duthu: Public transport represents just 13% of the kilometres travelled by the French population, and 9% of their total travel. Huge discrepancies lie behind these figures, however. Public transport represents 60% of travel in Paris and 25% in the Paris conurbation, where there are more users and more offers. On the other hand, in rural areas and conurbations of less than 20,000 inhabitants, this share falls to just 3% or 4%. The offer is logically more developed in densely-populated urban areas, but remains undersized in suburban and rural areas.

RM: To what extent does public transport have a lower environmental impact than individual transport?

C. Duthu: Public transport helps to lower the number of vehicles used and so reduce both highly polluting road congestion and the use of resources for vehicle manufacturing. Its other major advantage is that it reduces carbon emissions per passenger. On average, taking your car for a short journey (less than 80km) generates twice as many greenhouse gases as the bus, and ten times more than the metro. That said, these proportions depend on the level of use and occupation rate. For a real impact on the environment, simply developing public transport is not enough; we have to ensure motorists accept to choose this over their own car by providing a sufficiently attractive solution, especially in terms of comfort, proximity and frequency.

RM: Can public transport truly rival individual vehicles?

C. Duthu: It will have to. In this age of climate crisis, public transport represents a key driver for mobility decarbonisation. There are several ways to boost public transport use: wider local service, even in less densely populated areas; higher frequency, in line with new lifestyles; intermodality, with the combination of several public transport modes serving right to the last mile, and facilitated connections thanks to hubs and Mobility as a Service (MaaS). More inclusive facilities are also a factor, in particular for users with a physical or mental disability.

RM: Demand-responsive transport is particularly suited to all these needs...

C. Duthu: Demand-responsive transport addresses all situations which the ‘traditional’ offer fails to satisfy: when demand is low, especially during off-peak hours; when demand is inconsistent and at its highest during peak hours; when demand is patchy, such as in suburban or rural areas and in industrial parks; when the demand is too specific, with users such as senior citizens or persons of reduced mobility, but also workers and students with staggered working hours, etc. In 2019, more than 600 dedicated networks were registered in France, serving around 2 million users.

RM: How does demand-responsive transport actually work?

C. Duthu: Demand-responsive transport is flexible by nature and can take on various forms. The set route configuration offers predefined stops and a predictable service in terms of order and times. The virtual route set-up consists in serving only the stops reserved for a regular route, and can take all or part of this same route. The free electron system allows for a passenger to be picked up regardless of their location and transported to a specific area without any set timetable. The multi-zone configuration covers several areas in a specific order, but while the order of areas is predefined and permanent, the route within each zone is flexible and optimised. Lastly, with the feeder system, a passenger is picked up from a specific stop and dropped off in another zone, and inversely, with set times which can be consulted upstream. This system is used in particular for shuttle services between train stations and airports, or for school transport.

RM: Do you believe demand-responsive transport will grow in the coming years?

C. Duthu: Yes, but on several conditions. Firstly, a reduction in costs, more specifically on the scale of small and medium-sized local authorities. Tax incentives and funding aids for the purchase of (preferably electric) vehicles would be required, in addition to demand-responsive transport operating licences (via the State group purchasing organisation (UGAP)). Secondly, boosted visibility of this solution among the general public. In addition to awareness campaigns, we could envisage extending the €100-voucher offer currently applied to car-pooling. Thirdly, we must address the shortage of drivers by enhancing the appeal of this overlooked profession.  

Interview by Louis Armengaud Wurmser (E10), Content Manager at ESSEC Alumni 

Translation of an article published in Reflets Magazine #150. Read a preview (in French). Get the next issues (in French).