Transdev in Sweden has now been running the service in Eskilstuna in the south-central part of the country for a month and the first period can only be summed up as a success, as the service has been running according to plan.
Every start of service is a complex process where many different things must work together to ensure that passengers have as smooth a transition as possible. Someone has likened it to changing the engine of an aircraft while it is in the air.
One of the reasons why the takeover of this contract has gone so smoothly is the well-functioning dialogue with the Regional Transportation Authority, Sörmlandstrafiken, and the fact that the staff have followed on from the previous contract, which has meant that the training period for them has been very short. In total, seventy drivers and sixty vehicles will be operating the service. Geographically, the contract covers the cities of Eskilstuna and Katrineholm/Vingåker.
As a passenger, travelling with Serviceresor is easy, among other things because there is an app with the same name that the passenger can download that communicates directly with Sörmlandstrafiken. There you can book your trips, always have updated arrival times, and help your relatives. In addition, you avoid phone queues.
Jan Carlsson, Business Manager at Transdev Mälardalen
In addition to the app, there is also a web service with the same functions.
As with conventional public transportation, Transdev is keen to ensure that Serviceresor is also environmentally sustainable. Therefore, all vehicles run on HVO diesel, which reduces CO2 emissions by about 90% compared to fossil diesel.
Moreover, new ground is being broken in Eskilstuna with the start of the new service agreement, as Transdev will be « co-owners » with Sörmlandstrafiken and the conventional public transportation within Sörmlanstrafiken, which is also operated by Transdev.
Given that we operate a slightly different type of traffic than the rest of Transdev, we think it is important to be able to be close to the other operations in order to discover the synergies it entails, not least from a staffing perspective”.
Jan Carlsson, Business Manager at Transdev Mälardalen
The total value of the contract is approximately €15 million and will run for three years.
Service traffic is traffic that carries out special passenger transport, but can also carry out public transport journeys, both scheduled and on-demand-operated. It is carried out by both taxi and bus.