Demand Responsive Transport Services

View detail about the consultation - Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) Services in Aberdeenshire | Engage Aberdeenshire

We Asked

About whether the timing was right to try operating a different type of bus service; how you would like a Digital DRT service to work; your current and proposed levels of bus travel; and your views on testing Digital DRT in the Inverurie and/or Deeside areas.

You Said

• It was a good time to try a new type of bus service (75%)

• You liked the concept of DDRT (82%)

• 32.2% indicated they would wish to book using an App, 50.2% wanted the option of booking by App and phone and 11.2% would prefer to phone;

• 19.1% would want to book trips in advance, 11.6% just before travel and 66.6% would wish to have both booking options;

• 44.7% would want to use a bus stop, 18.8% to be picked-up at their ‘door’ and 34.3% either at a bus stop or their door depending upon the circumstances;

• 84.4% thought it was important to be able to track the vehicle through the App, with only 5.2% not considering this important;

• 89.9% felt it was important to receive service disruption information, e.g., late running, through the App, with only 1.8% stating this was not important; and,

• 83.1% believed it was important that the App also included details of other bus information/times, with only 8.9% considering this to be unimportant.

We Did

• We decided to introduce a pilot project up to August 2022, initially operating in the Inverurie area.

• We commissioned a software supplier, Moovit, to provide a system for booking and managing a DDRT service.

• We commissioned a bus operator, Watermill Coaches, to operate a pilot DDRT service in the Inverurie area.

• We launched the Ready2Go DRT app, incorporating a public transport journey planner and Ready2Go booking facility, in early August 2021.

• We launched the Ready2Go Around Inverurie bus service on 16 August 2021.

• We commissioned a consultancy firm, Stantec, to evaluate the project.

• We decided to extend the pilot Ready2Go Around Inverurie initiative for another year until August 2023.