Merseyside seeing 7,500 journey requests per week; Leicestershire above predictions
Customer uptake of the ArrivaClick demand responsive transport (DRT) concept has been strong, research has shown.
A survey of nearly 1,400 ArrivaClick users in Merseyside found that the service – which now utilises 25 low-floor EVM Cityline minibuses in the region – is generating an average of 7,500 journey requests per week.
Switch from cars
40% of ArrivaClick customers in Merseyside have switched from single-use cars and taxis. After a year of operation, the number of app downloads there is 27,000 and that figure is growing by 1,000 per week.
A separate ArrivaClick service, which has been in operation in Leicestershire for three months, is showing similarly positive trends and exceeding growth forecasts. 5,000 users in that area have downloaded the app and 700 more do so each week.
Says Arriva Business Development Director for DRT in the UK Asiya Jelani: “People want more convenient and flexible ways to travel. These figures show that DRT has an important role to play in getting people out of private cars and taxis and onto public transport.
“We’re in conversation with a number of partners on where we may introduce ArrivaClick next.”
In Merseyside, a local authority funded ArrivaClick service introduced in Speke represents the first time that public money has been used to fund a digitally enabled DRT product in the UK.
Efficient model
Adds Ms Jelani: “We believe that the ArrivaClick model has an important role to play in blending together publicly and privately funded bus services.
“It offers greater flexibility than a linear bus service and it can cover a wider operating area with competitive operating costs. It can play a key role in connecting harder to reach areas with core public transport networks.”
The survey on Merseyside found that 90% of ArrivaClick customers would use the service again and that they would recommend it to their family and friends.
