Ditch the Drive: How to Make Commuting Smarter

Commuting Challenges?

Barcelona doesn’t always look so beautiful, especially not during rush hour. This is Gran Vía, one of the major thoroughfares in the city, at around 8 am on a Monday. I count around 40 cars in this picture, all moving at a snail’s pace into the big city, polluting as they go. Let’s say each car carries an average of 1.5 passengers: that’s a grand total of 60 people. Do you know how many buses it would take to carry all those people? One. And that’s with room to spare.?

Now, before everyone starts to form a negative opinion of Barcelona’s public transport options, I hasten to add that there are a remarkable 900 buses active during the morning rush hour in Barcelona, and incredible improvements have been made to infrastructure in the city in the past years. Crucially though, these buses run within the city.

Mobility Gap in Rural Areas

For people who live outside the city and commute in, that’s where it gets more complicated. The most common way to get to work for Spaniards is by private vehicle, with 61.3% travelling by car. Before we blame the individual, what are the public transport conditions like outside of big cities? Are commuters able to access adequate public transport options to be sure that they will arrive at work, school or university on time? Unfortunately, not really.?

Rural areas in Spain suffer from a significant mobility gap, in comparison to urban areas. Low population density can make it very difficult to fund public transport options, and micro-mobility options seen in cities (such as rentable electric bicycles) are practically non-existent. As a result, Car is King.?

Adapting Solutions for Rural Transport

To get people out of private vehicles, accessible alternatives have to be made available. Providing adequate transport options in rural areas is not a question of copy-pasting the solutions used in urban areas. Whilst electric scooters and fixed-line buses might be optimal in cities, rural transport services need to be more adaptable.

To truly meet the needs of all users, public transport must function as a dynamic ecosystem offering tailored options for every scenario.

Nemi’s Innovative Approach?

This is just what we’re working on here at Nemi: we aim to provide accessible, flexible and reliable bus services through our stand-alone software tool for managing on-demand bus services. We improve the efficiency and flexibility of bus services by optimising routes and digitalising the flow of information between users, drivers, and service operators. Based on user requests via our app and other booking channels, the bus route is optimised to serve only requested stops. The beauty of this system is that many more stops can be added than on a regular line (see our stop ‘cloud’ below), enabling people in previously under-served areas to access crucial services without a private vehicle. There’s no need to stand around waiting for the bus; with our app, you can see exactly when the bus is going to arrive. Demand-responsive transport is also a great fit as a first/last mile solution: passengers can be dropped off at a train or bus station to continue their onward journey.

As well as being an optimal choice for passengers, our demand-responsive solution is cost-effective for operators: as drivers take the most efficient route possible to only pick up passengers who have reserved ahead of time, travel distance is reduced and emissions are reduced.

If this is something that sounds interesting, you can contact our commercial lead Jordi Carbonell at [email protected] for more information about how our solution works in practice.

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Corporate Solutions for Commuting

On-demand transport also presents an innovative solution for ferrying employees directly to their workplaces. In 2020, Nemi spearheaded the COMMINSAFE pilot, providing an on-demand bus service to commuters who work in areas underserved by public transport options.? By hiring a dedicated bus service that picks up employees from strategically located stops near their homes and drops them directly at the office, the companies involved transformed the daily commute into a streamlined and stress-free experience. Beyond contributing to the development of sustainable mobility solutions, employee benefits of this sort can play a pivotal role in improving employee satisfaction levels and enhancing the company's ability to attract and retain top-tier talent. Mobility consultancy FACTUAL developed a training programme - MASTERCOM - to help companies develop effective commuting plans for their employees, which proved very popular among participants. Although the 2023 edition of the course is finished, follow the FACTUAL LinkedIn page to keep up to date with new developments.

Towards a Comprehensive Mobility Ecosystem?

In the ever-evolving landscape of transport solutions, on-demand responsive transport has emerged as a pivotal component within the complex mobility ecosystem. The next time you witness a line of cars stretching for miles, consider whether those individuals have access to a suitable public transport alternative. While the current answer may often be no, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Achieving comprehensive and accessible mobility for all is within reach, requiring a commitment to innovation and the strategic allocation of resources.