For the past year, TTK has accompanied Île-de-France Mobilités (IdFM, the regional public transport authority for the Paris region) in the development of express bus routes. The aim is to connect the various sub-centres of the region around Paris, in particular those that have a less efficient public transport service.
This issue is at the heart of the government programme of the President of the Île de France Region and IdFM, Valérie Pécresse. She therefore entrusted François Durovray, President of the Essonne department, with the task of integrating the express lines into the regional bus plan. In this context, a seminar on regional express lines was held on 8th February, attended by representatives of all local authorities and mobility actors from the Île-de-France region.
These express road connections offer a structuring transport service for residents who currently do not benefit from a (high-quality) rail service. They also make it possible to reach regional centres that are difficult to access. In these ways, they contribute to the democratisation of alternative forms of mobility, especially for commuting between home and work over medium and long distances in the Île-de-France region.
According to the study led by TTK, express bus routes must fulfil three main objectives. A first objective is to ensure direct, fast and efficient connections between regional centres, especially for sources and destinations that cannot be reached by train but for which there is a high demand. Secondly, they must open up less densely populated areas whose transport demand is lower and looser. In addition, the connection of the express bus lines with the stations of the regional rail service and the future Grand Paris Express metro system will create links that have a strong multimodal "network effect".
All these features allow for a multiplication of attractive connections between sources and destinations, improving the accessibility of the region for all residents, even those who live furthest from the heart of the metropolis.
We are very pleased that we were able to present and discuss the intermediate results of the study at the seminar on express bus routes. This seminar was also an opportunity for a very constructive exchange with regional stakeholders and mobility experts, who confirmed our proposals. This feedback will be incorporated into the final outcome of the study.