Siemens subsidiaries Hacon and Padam Mobility have launched an on-demand transport service in Switzerland with Swiss transport operator Bus Ostschweiz.
The new offering, Salu, provides residents in Wil, Wilen, Bronschhofen and Rossrüti with a flexible shuttle service in the evening from 8pm to and from the train station. The service is designed to fit in with the train schedule.
In addition, users can find, book and pay for rides to or from more than 100 virtual stops in the Salu app.
“Salu significantly improves the appeal of public transport in the city of Wil," says Andreas Deterling, head of supply and development at Bus Ostschweiz.
"Our service combines convenience and sustainability – the app calculates which passengers can board when and where, and determines the fastest connections.”
Rural areas are often poorly-served with public transport, and the companies see their services having potential to improve journeys for riders.
“On-demand transport best supports existing public transport services when the transfer from one means of transport to the other runs smoothly," says Gerd Overbeck, lead new mobility at Hacon.
Padam Mobility and Hacon have also launched on-demand services in three German regions over the last few months.
These are in Höxter (Holibri drives on four routes); Hürth, near Cologne, (Hüpper” serves districts with insufficient access to public transport); and the Expressbus Pfaffenhofen app allows users to travel around individually across the city.
Across Germany, DB Regio is using Padam Mobility and Hacon's digital services to integrate an on-demand service into its own travel information system, and more projects are set to be added in the coming months, for example, in the Ingolstadt region.
