Keolis has won public transportation deals in two southern French cities.
Nîmes Métropole has awarded Keolis the contract to operate the Tango public transport network, which serves 39 municipalities, from July.
The six-and-a-half-year deal will generate €314 million revenue and involves the launch of the T5 “tram’bus” line in 2025 and the extension of the current T4 line in 2027 - plus the company will roll out an open payment system for users across the whole network by 2025.
Keolis wants to increase the service speed of the bus rapid transit lines and extend their coverage, deploying a transport-on-demand service for the city's hospital, main economic centres and TGV railway stations, including night-time services.
Keolis says that, from January 2025, it will be possible to book this service up to an hour before departure.
The city's target is to achieve a fleet in which 86% of vehicles will use alternative fuels by 2030, with a mix of electric and biogas-powered vehicles, together with all the diesel vehicles converted to biofuel. The transition will reduce CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030.
Keolis will support this move to sustainable transportation by adapting depots to new energy sources and installing over 4,700 m of sunshades equipped with solar panels at the bus and light vehicle park.
There is also a plan to win and retain new customers to public transport in the city, which aims to help increase passenger numbers by more than 21% over the course of the contract.
Meanwhile, in Lyon, Sytral Mobilités has awarded Keolis a six-year metropolitan region bus and trolleybus operating and maintenance contract for the TCL network.
It will begin on 1 January 2025 and is expected to generate €269 million in annual revenue.
Through its future subsidiary Keolis Bus Lyon, Keolis will operate the largest bus network open to tender in France, with 3,000 employees and 136 bus routes including eight trolleybus lines.
Part of Keolis' role will be to develop intermodality and promote active travel, which means several routes will be adapted to enable bikes to be transported on the buses. A 'Users Reflex Lab' will be created to gain insight into passenger expectations, and more staff will be deployed on the ground.
The goal is to actively support Sytral Mobilités in increasing TCL network ridership.
Among its targets are to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 27% over the contract’s duration.
Marie-Ange Debon, CEO of Keolis Group, says: "On contract launch, Keolis Bus Lyon will become a mission-driven enterprise and will support the social, societal and environmental ambitions of Sytral Mobilités.”
