ArrivaClick over first year mark
Arriva has completed its first year operating ArrivaClick, its demand-responsive public transport service.
The service was piloted in and around Kent Science Park and Sittingbourne using EVM converted Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. Customers pre-book using a smartphone app, reserve a seat and get a guaranteed fare and an estimated arrival time at a chosen pick-up point. Their journey is then matched with others heading to the same or similar location, with backend technology calculating the shortest and fastest route for all customers onboard. Customers receive text messages providing arrival time and the name of their driver. There are now discussions underway to roll the scheme out to a major city in the north of England.
MD of UK Bus, Arriva, Kevin O’Connor, said: “Demand Responsive Transport models, like ArrivaClick, present an exciting opportunity to meet the changing needs and requirements of customers and to offer a real alternative to current modes of transport. They have the potential to provide reliable and affordable first and last mile transport options and vital local transport links in underserved areas. With our plans to expand this award-winning service to other locations in the UK, we are excited about its future and the benefits it can bring to other towns and cities.”
- Roger French tried out ArrivaClick, read his report in issue 1469, 2 March 2018.