- Dynamic Demand Responsive Transit (DDRT) System Back-Office Operator

The Project is being delivered by Solent Transport as part of the Department for Transport funded Future Transport Zone (FTZ). Solent Transport is a partnership between Hampshire County Council, Isle of Wight Council, Southampton City Council, and Portsmouth City Council, and is working with the Universities of Southampton and Portsmouth to deliver the FTZ.

As part of the FTZ programme, Solent Transport will be trialling DDRT services in parts of the Solent area. These trials will focus mostly on applying app-based booking and use of a DDRT back-office system to several existing community transport type services in the Solent area.

Solent Transport has awarded a contract for a DDRT back-office system / provider with a proven track record, which meets customers/partners needs and expectations and which can support our project in line with our timescales.

A central project within the Solent FTZ programme is the trial of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) - the development of a single application to allow planning, booking, payment and ticketing for all modes of transport in the area. This unified approach is anticipated to substantially improve integration between modes and create opportunities to boost the profile and use of some lesser-known or lower profile modes of travel (including existing Demand Responsive Transit services). The 'Breeze' MaaS app, an initial version of which has recently been launched to the public, is being developed by Trafi in partnership with Unicard and Behavioural Insights Team.

Following a short period of use of the back-office supplier's own app on an interim basis (for the initial "Stage 1" two vehicle/ two operator pilot- see below) the back-office system will be required to integrate with the Solent MaaS app in order to allow DDRT services to be viewed/planned, booked and ticketed via the Breeze MaaS app. We will also be seeking a website booking facility.

The DDRT project trials are to be implemented in phases. A single off- the shelf DDRT back-office system will be procured to enable dynamic, demand responsive routing of vehicles. Phase one of the project is an initial small-scale pilot where the DDRT back -office supplier will be required to provide an interim standalone smartphone app (and separate dedicated website) for users to plan, book and pay for DDRT trips. The Phase One is planned for launch to the public by March 2023. This trial will involve 1 vehicle at each of two Community Transport Operators (FYT Bus on the Isle of Wight, and Southampton Dial-a-Ride operated by SCIA Transport).

Upon the successful completion of Phase 1, the project would move to Phase 2 where we will require that DDRT services be accessed via the Breeze MaaS app (hence a deep/level 3 integration with the 'Breeze' MaaS app will be required to be implemented during Phase 1 of the project), with all the users from the migrated to the Breeze app. This is vital to the project as it offers opportunities to increase the visibility and public access to transport services with a "low profile" such as Community Transport and Dial-a-Ride services, helping to both increase ridership of these services and potentially develop them as a means of maintaining public transport in areas where it may be threatened in future due to reduced travel demand following the Covid -19 pandemic.

The Solent LTAs also have broader aspirations regarding wider-scale application of DDRT operating and booking principles to a wide range of other existing transport operators (primarily existing Community Transport operators, but potentially including trials of flexible routing of "mainline" bus services and other similar projects). Dependent on success of Phase 2 of the FTZ trial this evidence would be used to develop a business case for widespread application of a DDRT back office across a range of transport operators in the Solent sub-region and potentially also other parts of Hampshire

In the combined Solent + Hampshire area there are at least 6 community transport operators, operating more than 11 distinct services at present. The number of vehicles operating community transport services which could be in scope of later phases of this project may be in the range of 20-30 vehicles. There are also a number of taxi share schemes provided by several operators. And there may be potential for some existing fixed line bus routes (provided by several operators) to be converted to more flexible and demand responsive forms of operation.

The timescales for implementation at this scale are flexible and it is unlikely this full scope (if realised) would be realised before 2025